Here is the latest news on the Camp projects currently underway:

• Please continue to pray for the Camp’s Conditional Use Permit. We have a submittal meeting scheduled with the County Planning Department on November 17. Then, the plans go through a 120 day evaluation and hearing process during which time there will be opportunity for community comment on the plans, and the County can require revisions. Please pray that the plans will be approved with support from the community and few revisions by the County. This permit must be approved before we can begin the Cedar Lodge renovation project, and will affect all future development of the Camp for the next 30 years.
• We continue to work on the final plans for the Cedar Lodge renovation project. Currently, we are finalizing the electrical engineering details and calibrating fire flow and fire suppression in accordance with fire marshal specifications. Our hope is that the final building plans will go to the County in January or February. Lord willing, the actual work on the first phase — moving the restrooms to the main floor — will begin in 2011.
• Even though funds were raised earlier this year at Men’s Advance and Women’s Retreats to go towards replacing the railings around the Program Center Courtyard and repainting the exterior walls of the Program Center, we have not been able to arrange for the volunteer labor needed to complete the work. We have put this project on hold until next spring.
• Emergency renovation work has been completed on the Warner House, one of the Camp’s retreat homes. This included re-roofing the house, removing an old fireplace and chimney, and rebuilding a carport. This house is also used during The Lights of Christmas as the Nutcracker Suite, so the work needed to be completed quickly.
• Projects being prepared for next spring include repainting the interiors and putting down new flooring in the W-Bar-B Bunkhouse cabins, and installing new windows, and siding, and painting the exterior of one of the Camp’s dorm houses. If you would be interested in volunteering to help with either of these projects, contact Jessica Beach at the Camp at 360-652-7575 or 800-228-6724.