Stony Glen News
The Dining Hall and Rec Hall are two of Stony Glen’s most-used buildings, and we’re making plans to improve them both!
Lord willing and with your help, the Stony Glen Camp board and staff have agreed it’s time to refurbish the Dining Hall and replace the Rec Hall with a sturdier, more useful Welcome Center on the same spot.
The first project would be the Dining Hall, which along with the Kitchen would close for two months this winter while volunteers and con-tractors refurbish the interior -- new floors, larger and nicer restrooms, elimination of the false ceiling and the posts that hold it up, new drains for the kitchen, and more.
When the Dining Hall re-opens in early January, if things go as planned, it will have those improvements plus a knotty pine interior like the newer cabins, as well as insulation (for the first time) to make it more efficient. This should make it much easier to keep clean, offer better flexibility for arranging tables and chairs, and create a great impression for visitors.
Our timeline puts the Rec Hall/Welcome Center project on the calendar for 2010-11. It would be on a slightly bigger footprint than the old build-ing, with new restrooms for arriving guests and a basement on the lower level with a walkout toward the Carl Smith Chapel.
As you may know, the six-decade-old Rec Hall is in need of a host of structural and cosmetic work -- plus its tiny restroom isn’t suitable for guests. But we also want to preserve its heritage, so the new building will retain several elements of the original Rec Hall, including the fireplace stone.
The idea is to shore up the camp's most visible facilities, to make sure they’re welcoming and useful for many years to come.
We expect the two projects to cost a combined $250,000. The good news is $70,000 has already been raised toward the Welcome Center build-ing. The camp operates debt-free, so your gifts by Sept. 15, 2009, will al-low the first phase (the Dining Hall/Kitchen) to start as planned in mid-November 2009.
Stony Glen Facilities Master Plan
Timetable is approximate, depending on funding.
2009-10
Dining Hall/Kitchen refurbishing
- open up vaulted ceiling, knotty pine
- add insulation and more efficient windows, to cut energy use
- new lighting, heating
- larger, ADA-compliant restrooms
- possibly move entrance away from serving area (with portico design to match Chapel building)
- remove unnecessary interior pole for better flexibility inside
- deck/porch with outdoor shaded seating
- replace kitchen drains
- update kitchen so it’s easier to maintain/keep clean
2010-11
Welcome Center built on Rec Hall site
- restrooms (boys and girls) for guests just arriving to camp
- lower level envisioned with meeting space and walkout to Chapel side
- incorporate existing fireplace/stone and other design touches
2012 and after
Shower House
- restroom/shower additions, which are needed at peak times
Don's Place
- restroom/shower addition
Q&A about the construction
Q: How long will all of this take?
A: We would like to complete the Dining Hall/Kitchen pro-ject during the two months from mid-November 2009 to mid-January 2010, when we don’t have as many groups using them. Then we could be ready to start the Rec Hall/Welcome Center project later in 2010, with expected com-pletion the following year.
Q: What led to the decision to tackle these two projects now?
A: Prayer, first of all. The camp’s board of trustees spent time this spring lifting up and considering what items should be Jim and Dave’s first priorities following the Patrick Cabin’s completion. Repairing the Dining Hall ranked first, followed by the Rec Hall’s needs. Eighty-five percent of the first-place votes went to those two projects and the need for the Welcome Center. From there, the staff and trustees drew up a master plan for construction that’s reprinted in the box to the right.
Q: Wasn’t the plan to put the Welcome Center by where the Store is now?
A: Yes. Then we were informed that for it to have restroom and shower facilities, we would first need to install a munici-pal-style sewer system -- which far exceeded our budget for the building. But as anyone who comes from out of town knows, decent restrooms in center camp are an urgent need. Also, board members received feedback that the Rec Hall site really is a better location for camp’s welcoming "hub."
Q: Would the Welcome Center have the same design as we saw before?
A: No, we have requested a revised design so the building fits this site better. The drawings aren’t complete yet, but the goal is to have it take up a slightly larger footprint than the Rec Hall, with two modern restrooms on the first floor and a nice meeting space near the lower-level walkout.
Q: I have some time off this winter. Could you use my help?
A: We need volunteers on the Dining Hall project! There will be plenty of work to do even if you’re not an old hand at construction -- moving things, cleanup, painting, feeding the crews -- around Thanksgiving, Christmas and after New Year’s. If you’re available individually or you want to volun-teer your church group to help, contact Jim Lapish about the best way to plug you in. He can arrange accommoda-tions if you’re staying overnight. Call 440-298-3264 or info@stonyglencamp.org.
Q: Can I make the donation in honor or memory of someone?
A: Yes. We would like to recognize gifts of at least $500 in a permanent display. It could be in honor of a friend who brought you to camp, a counselor who prayed with you or a family member who loved Stony Glen. If you’re interested in this, please attach a note letting us know.
Please take an envelope and consider supporting Stony Glen Camp in this way!
