EDDINGTON – Jeff Costello, 16, of Old Town has been involved in Scouting for almost six years.

This summer he is working as an instructor at Camp Roosevelt, an outdoor camp situated near Black Cap Mountain and Little Fitts Pond, which houses Cub, Boy and Eagle scouts for weeks at a time.

Costello, who teaches outdoor survival and leadership skills to Scouts through activities such as kayaking, sailing and camping, was happy Wednesday to be a part of the dedication ceremony for the camp’s new dining and multipurpose lodge.

“This will allow the camp to grow further and allows the program to expand,” he said.”We will be able to afford more staff councilors to teach more programs.”

The Boy Scout was one of many present at the ceremony for the lodge, which is a new addition to Camp Roosevelt and has been in the works for two years.

The facility is an 11,284-square-foot log cabin, boasting 34-foot-high ceilings and a dining room that seats 420 people. It has expansive windows overlooking the pond and mountain and was built, starting in May 2005, from a kit produced by Moosehead Cedar Log Homes of Greenville.

The lodge will be heated and open year-round, allowing campers to use the facility during winter months. The old dining lodge will still stay open to campers.

The Katahdin Area Council, an organization that runs the camp and oversees troops from six counties in eastern and northern Maine, named the new facility in honor of Peter G. Vigue, the president and CEO of Cianbro Corp. and the chairman of a campaign to raise money for the new facility.

“Our company is an active supporter of Scouting, and we have managed the project through completion,” Vigue said from the front of the lodge before the ceremony began. “But the real significance is about people working together to support the community and coming together to make this happen.”

Vigue, who was a Scout when he was a boy, and whose son and grandson are involved in the organization, feels a personal connection to the Scouting community and a desire to help carry on the tradition, he said.

The chairman was one of many people involved in raising money for the facility. During the dedication, he gave thanks to businesses and individuals across the state that donated roughly $1.6 million in cash and $300,000 worth of services.

Money also went to rebuilding camp access roads, staff housing cabins, a new athletic field and Fitts Pond’s waterfront area. A new irrigation system was installed and new signs were put in place throughout the camp.

“The facilities were outdated, and we didn’t have adequate space to support the numbers of Scouts here,” Vigue said. “I am confident that this will help the program continue to grow.”

The council plans to use the donations for bathrooms and showers near the new athletic field, as well as handicapped facilities, and additional road improvements.

It is important to update the facility because the camp not only is used by Scouts, but also is open to other community groups, according to Vigue.

Outward Bound, the University of Maine, Maine Maritime Academy and the Maine National Guard are some of the many organizations that use Camp Roosevelt as a retreat to teach programs, according to the Katahdin Area Council.

“It’s not about our company, it’s about the people involved,” Vigue said. “I’m overjoyed to see more people using this facility.”

As hundreds of camp supporters milled into the new lodge, several Boy Scouts stood outside the entrance ushering people inside the lobby.

Andrew Parsons, 18, of Hampden, a Boy Scout who attended Camp Roosevelt when he was younger, thought the new building was nice. It didn’t have the same feel, however, as the old dining lodge, he said.

“It’s got its pros and cons,” Parsons said. “But I think if you give this place a few years it will be just like home.”

The council staff hoped to make everyone feel at home as they completed final preparations for the ceremony. Across the camp, some Cub Scouts were engaged in kayaking and swimming, while others roamed the grounds with camp leaders.

A young boy with a walking stick which was larger than he was tramped by the lodge, staring up at its towering rooftop as Vigue and other camp officials looked on.

“How do you say no to these kids,” Vigue said as he admired the new building. “We said yes, and we jumped in with both feet.

“Was it worth it? Absolutely.”