NEWPORT BEACH

The Boy Scouts of America Sea Base in Newport Harbor will be the beneficiary of a $14-million fund-raising drive by the county’s Scout Council.

The Orange County Boy Scout Council began its two-year capital campaign in June 1998 to refurbish and expand local Scout camps and other facilities across the county.

The council plans to use money from the final six months of the campaign next year--when it expects to raise about $4.5 million--to refurbish and expand the sea base, said Bill Mountford, base property manager.

The sea base campaign has already netted more than $500,000 in pledges, Mountford said.

The money will be used to add two new buildings, remodel existing structures and improve the base’s parking lot. The base was last refurbished in 1980.