Work Weekend, Tool Appeal, etc: B&G Committee page

Care & Maintenance of a Summer Camp

This is the
Buildings & Grounds Committee
page

Work Weekend
The Basics
A Sample Year
Tool Appeal
Work Day During Camp

FNCA WORK WEEKEND
Memorial Day Weekend

© Beki Greenwood 2012Over Memorial Day Weekend every year, the Buildings and Grounds Committee and other obliging souls gather at the Assembly for three days of maintenance and upkeep of the facilities. Work Weekend is an opportunity to volunteer your labor and skills for the camp that you love... as well as to be at the Assembly during the off-season!

All help is welcome and appreciated. Both skilled and © Ian Woofenden 2018unskilled workers are encouraged to participate. There's plenty of work for however many people show up. In fact, the more volunteers we have, the more projects get completed. New people are encouraged to join us. Previous participants know how fun it can be. All are invited. Free lodging and delicious meals are provided in exchange for your help.

If you are planning to attend, please be sure to complete the Work Weekend Sign Up Form so we will be able to plan the menu and work list accordingly.

The Basics

© Beki Greenwood 2010Every year, our great volunteers each put in at least six(6) hours of work every day — totally around 250 personhours — and in exchange, receive full room and board free for the weekend.

The Work Weekend work crew always completes several major projects and quite a few minor ones from the B&G's To Do List. In recent years, the list has included: new stairs and railings down at the waterfront; removal of dead and/or fallen trees; repairs of winter damage to cabin roofs; replacing at least one cabin roof each year; jacking © Sarah Grams 2018up various cabins that have settled; re-staining the outside walls of various buildings including Whitehead Hall (pictured a few photos up); cabin porch and deck improvements; painting; window repairs; cabin cleaning; deep cleaning of certain areas; finishing turning on the water system; and a host of smaller tasks.

© FNCA 1998The work of the eager Work Weekend volunteers is a major help to the care of the camp and a huge help to our budget. To give you an idea of how important participating in Work Weekend is: if we had to hire professionals to come in and do all the work that the Buildings & Grounds Committee and the other enthusiastic volunteers do over Work Weekend, it could easily run $50,000 or more each year!

A Sample Year

NOTE: This section is here to give prospective volunteers an idea of the type and scope of projects that get done each year. Any and all skill levels really are welcome!

Work Weekend 2018 saw about 20 adult campers at the Assembly hammering, sawing, constructing, deconstructing, shoveling, tamping, roofing, plumbing, digging, filling, raking, sweeping, cleaning, tossing, replacing, piling, leveling, sorting, scanning, and cataloging, among other things.

The highlights include: the Mack Cabin got a new metal © Emily Woofenden 2018roof; 5 dead or cabin-threatening trees were taken down, the main drain of the Woof Cabin was unclogged; extensive wood rot on the back of the Goddard Annex was replaced; 4 large © Nancy F. Little 2018porch screens on the Goddard Cabin were replaced; the Main Building was prepped for professional painting; cabins and the kitchen and pantry were cleaned; the outdoor railing on the Faxon Cabin was made safe for small children; the contents of the mouse closet were sorted and culled; and lots and Lots and LOTS and LOTS of pine cones were raked up and tossed over the banks.

And with all that, there was still plenty of time in the evenings for socializing, various games and entertainment, and conversation among friends old and new.

A great big THANK YOU goes out to everyone who attended Work Weekend 2018! Thanks for your hard work, camaraderie, and cheerful participation in this very important event that saves us thousands and thousands of dollars every year.

TOOL APPEAL

Got any old tools lying around that you don't want or need, and you just can't bear to throw them away? We are always in need of any type of yard or hand tools you have no need for.

If you can't get them to camp yourself, please contact Buildings & Grounds Committee member Colgate Searle at colgatesearle
junior@gmail.com and he will try to connect you with someone in your area who could bring them to camp for you.

WORK DAY DURING CAMP

© Beki Greenwood 2010Each Tuesday during the camp session from 2:30-4:30, the entire camp participates in Work Day. From the Sparks collecting kindling, to the Flames working on projects like screen repair and sticking © Beki Greenwood 2010doors, to Bonfires working on everything from plumbing to vacuuming, and Embers helping out wherever they can, all together we get a mighty lot done to improve the Assembly grounds in those two hours each week.

© Beki Greenwood 2018During camp, if you notice something (no matter how big or small) that could use any sort of treatment from the members of B&G Committee — from small things like a squeaky door or holey screen, to big things like construction problems or plumbing issues — please be sure to bring it to the attention of one of the members of the Buildings & Grounds Committee.