Editor's note: The name of the group opposing the Boy Scout jamboree site in Goshen is Friends of the Maury. The group's website is called Save Goshen Pass. An earlier version of this story was unclear on that point. The story has been updated to clarify.

The Boy Scouts of America set Rockbridge County abuzz last month when it announced that Goshen Scout Reservation is the top choice for its national jamboree -- an event that could bring 240,000 people to the region, ring up $100 million in investment and create dozens of full-time jobs.

But not everyone's doing a jamboree jig.

Since the Boy Scouts made the announcement, letters to the editor -- and paid advertisements -- opposing the project have appeared in the area's weekly newspapers. And an opposition group, Save Goshen Pass, has been formed.

A main question being asked: Can Goshen and Rockbridge County handle such an influx?

Jay Gilliam, a member of the opposition group, said the magnitude of the project would change the natural, rural character of the area and pose significant hazards to Maury River users downstream of the site.

"The only thing I think we can possibly do is convince the Boy Scouts this is an inappropriate place to have their development. If they choose to come here, basically the game is over," said Gilliam, who also serves as chairman of the Foundation for Virginia's Natural Resources, a board of trustees appointed by the governor.

Save Goshen Pass' last meeting drew about 50 opponents. The group's fourth meeting is Sunday at 2 p.m.

At least two county officials are asking the naysayers to wait and see what the Boy Scouts want to do with the site before staunchly opposing anything.

"I have been counseling that we wait to hear what is really proposed before we get too excited," said A.W. "Buster" Lewis, who represents the Walkers Creek District on the county's board of supervisors.

The Boy Scouts project could be an economic boon to the area because it is projected to create 80 full-time jobs. The initial capital investment for construction is anticipated to be more than $100 million.

Opponents to economic development projects in the past have driven business away from the county. Lewis said opponents "chased off" Nestle when the company wanted to build a water-bottling plant in the county a few years ago.

"I think there is some desire here, and the approach may be to do the same thing to the Scouts by coming on strong," Lewis said.

Negotiations between the National Capital Area Council, which owns the 4,000-acre Goshen Scout Reservation, and the Boy Scouts are under way to purchase the property. The Boy Scouts would have to obtain a special-exemption permit to construct a National Scouting Center on the site if the deal goes through.

"We don't know what their plans are for infrastructure or what their needs will be," County Administrator Claire Collins said.

Goshen Scout Reservation is not served by public water or sewer service.

One opponent, Linda Larsen, raised questions about whether the secondary roads leading to the area will be able to handle the traffic loads. Virginia 39 is "a scenic historic byway. It parallels the Maury [River]," Larsen said. "There are curves and twists and a couple of doglegs to it."

Larsen, a Lexington chiropractor, estimates there will be several thousand bus trips across the byway daily during the jamboree.

The project will "force the area to become a bigger city," she said. "I cannot fathom this wouldn't cost the county or community money."

The Save Goshen Pass meeting Sunday is at Larsen's home at 146 Back Draft Road in Rockbridge Baths. Anyone opposed to the Boy Scouts project is invited to attend, she said.

Meanwhile, Isaac Manning of Trinity Works, the developer for the Boy Scouts project, said a public presentation offering a closer look at what is planned for Goshen tentatively is scheduled for late April in Rockbridge County.

The Goshen site ranked at the top of 80 proposals from 28 states. The 10-day jamboree is typically held every four years.