Project Updates – November 2016

Here is the latest news on the Camp’s current projects:

• The new audio/visual systems have been installed in Cedar Lodge Chapel as a part of the refurbishment project currently underway. The new chairs have arrived. The rest of the work in the Chapel is on hold until after The Lights of Christmas. Work still needing to be done includes the new lighting, new texture/paint for the ceiling, and when it stops raining, a new roof on this wing of Cedar Lodge. Be sure to take a peek in the Chapel the next time you are on the grounds.
• The renovation project to revitalize Cascadian Lodge is in the funding stage right now, raising the needed dollars through a room memorialization program. So far, 19 of the 30 rooms have been underwritten, leaving 11 more to be memorialized. The actual work on updating the sleeping rooms is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2017, once all the rooms have been funded. If you would like information about memorializing a room, please contact Nancy Nelson at the Camp.
• The two small restrooms in The Pines were recently refurbished and will present a much more welcoming environment for the many guests of The Lights of Christmas who make The Pines their first stop when they arrive. Our thanks goes to the volunteers who completed this project ahead of schedule.
• The parking across Marine Drive from the main Camp entrance has been expanded by 60 spaces and is ready to welcome guests arriving at The Lights of Christmas. The Camp is working hard to keep up with an ever-increasing need for parking spaces for this event.
• Feasibility studies are underway to develop plans for a new multipurpose building to replace the Chinook Longhouse. The new year-around facility will include a multipurpose meeting room, dining area, A.D.A. restrooms, nurse’s station and sick room, office space, and sleeping quarters for Special Friends Camp leadership staff. Over the next five years, we hope to begin work on replacing the Longhouse, and complete four additional dorm cabins.
• Plans are underway to replace the old “Big Toy” playground equipment that dates back to the 1980’s. Years of heavy use, the northwest weather, and changes in safety standards have all had a part in bringing the old equipment to the end of its useful life. The old equipment will be taken out early this next year, and as soon as the funds are raised, new commercial-grade playground equipment will be installed.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with any projects, whether you have a few hours or a few days, call Jessica Wilson at (360) 312-3417 or send her an email.