Brinnon's Camp Parsons is boasting a new, $4.3 million dining hall, which served the thousands of Boy Scouts who attended the camp this summer.

Camp director Ken McEdwards said construction of the 14,500-square-foot hall, which has a seating capacity for 600, began in September 2014 and finished in June 2015. More than 400 people attended a dedication ceremony in late June just prior to the camp's opening for its 97th consecutive summer.

"We now have an amazing new facility that I would like to share with more groups," said McEdwards, who added that the hall is available upon request throughout the camp's off-season for use by outside groups and organizations.

The camp's original dining hall was built in 1937 at about 4,600 square feet, with seating for about 350. McEdwards said the new hall's increased capacity and commercial kitchen encourage greater year-round use by outside groups, such as local school districts interested in offering outdoor education programs for students.

The new dining hall was at least five years in the making, said McEdwards, who said he's thankful for all those who donated to the project, including Fat Smitty's restaurant, which donated some $7,000.

The hall is named for Michael D. Garvey, 77, of Bellevue, a former Eagle Scout who worked as a camp staff member in the 1950s. Garvey, who later cofounded Saltchuk Resources, also donated to the project, McEdwards said.

The camp, which sits on some 440 acres, was founded in 1919. It's the oldest operating scout camp west of the Mississippi River and one of a few camps that uses open saltwater (Hood Canal) for all its aquatic activities. It is located just off U.S. Highway 101 at 970 Bee Mill Road.

The camp is operated and maintained by the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts, in Seattle.