The Great Salt Lake Council of Boy Scouts of America will dedicate its new Larry H. Miller Aquatics Center on Thursday.

Located about five miles north of Laketown, Rich County, the 30,000-square-foot facility is part of the Bear Lake Aquatics Base on the east side of Bear Lake.

According to Kay Godfrey, council spokesman, the facility is one of the largest buildings in Rich County. He said the new center was also one of the final community projects the late Larry H. Miller worked on.

This multipurpose facility includes a kitchen, serving area, bathrooms, welcome center, offices, first aid center, trading post, storage areas and staff quarters. It also features a scoutmaster's lounge with Wi-Fi access. It will serve thousands of Boy Scouts and their leaders each summer.

A dedicatory prayer for the enter will be offered by Charles W. Dahlquist II, former General Young Men's president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Gail Miller is also expected to attend the dedication.

The Bear Lake Aquatics Base covers some 200 acres along one-half mile of shoreline. It focuses on basic Boy Scout skills, as well as having a wealth of water-based activities, including small boat sailing, certified scuba training, snorkeling, catamaran sailing and waterskiing.

The base operates each year from mid-June to mid-August. It is one of five summer camps the Great Salt Lake Council operates.

The council is Utah's largest, serving more than 75,000 youths in Tooele, Summit, Salt Lake and south Davis counties.

e-mail: lynn@desnews.com