By Nick Ferraro

St. Paul Pioneer Press

The Boy Scouts of America Northern Star Council will break ground Wednesday on a $17 million expansion of its base camp campus at Fort Snelling.

The Peter J. King Family Foundation Leadership Center will include an atrium/welcome area; expanded retail shop; interactive technology room for kids; several meeting rooms; a climbing tower; and a team-focused high ropes challenge course.

Northern Star Council will also move its two offices in St. Paul and Golden Valley into the new building.

In 2010, the Northern Star Council opened a $9 million base camp — with rock climbing and ropes courses and an indoor archery range — in a century-old former cavalry drill hall south of Minnesota 55 along Bloomington Road. It has hosted more than 240,000 visitors, primarily from schools, youth groups and community organizations.

The new building is named in recognition of the King foundation’s $4 million gift in the Northern Star’s recent capital campaign. An opening is planned for summer 2018.