Seacamp

Association, Inc.

 

March 1999

WHAT'S NEW

Farewell to old friends - The Barn, Big & Brown and the Keebler: campus landmarks, home to instructors, host to conferences, transformed by Georges into sunken wrecks. Removing them from the harbor and swim canal took a week of intensive work led by Duke Pontin of Spirit Towing. To raise the Barn, divers wrapped tarps beneath the hull and strengthened the sodden bottom with plywood. A 50-ton crane gently lifted the houseboat as up to six portable pumps sent brackish water gushing from the interior. The scene was repeated to raise the second floor of the Keebler and to set Big and Brown upright. All three boats were floated and towed from Seacamp. Duke will tow the boats to a vacant beach where they will be dismantled and carted away. Big & Brown served Seacamp for more than 25 years. The Keebler arrived in 1991 as a trade for Miss Fire Island and the Barn was purchased in 1992. The Seagoing, which sank along side the Keebler, was refloated and will be salvaged.

Photos of house boats

Roof Upgrade - Although damage from Hurricane Georges requires replacing the roofs of Sunrise and Sunset it also gives us the chance to upgrade. The new white aluminum roofs are sturdier and last longer than shingles. The panels are applied over a wooden grid which creates extra insulation and, along with their white finish, should keep the dorm rooms cooler. Roofers began work in late February and are expected to be done by early March. Since students are living in the dorm while construction is underway, the roofing firm agreed to forgo their usual dawn to dusk schedule and work only when students are out on program.

Photos of roof work

Seacamp Hosts International Weekend - welcoming 18 Rotary Exchange students, students from Garden City in Michigan, Moscow Environmental College and 4 Keys High Schools. Highlighting the weekend were group presentations, moderated this year by Professor Tom Marcinkowski of Florida International University, and a real time e-mail discussion with Russian campers, set up by Dimitri (Dema) Semenov, our SABIT intern from last fall. Rotary Exchange students attended the meeting of the Big Pine and Lower Keys Rotary Club. Rotary's District Governor was also on hand to confirm Rotary's gift of $5,000 for rebuilding the teaching platform in the Shark Pond.

Teachers Workshop - Thirty-two teachers from six states participated in a sample NHMI program held February 5-7. The fine and unseasonably warm weather gave the group the chance for a snorkeling trip at Looe Key, which not always an option in winter.

New Docks for the Swim Canal - The north side of the swim canal has been pressed into service for snorkel workshops. Craig Spencer, Physical Plant Director, and his crew groomed the shoreline and built bases for four floating docks, salvaged from the harbor or built on flat-top hulls. Permit requests are being submitted for complete replacement of the main dock including piers, and approximately 70% of the $170,000 needed to build the dock is in hand. At its March meeting the Knight Foundation will consider a second grant of $50,000 to fully fund this project.

Thanks to Duke Pontin & Spirit Towing

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