A status report from the Indiana Camp Board regarding the fire at Becker Lodge.
The Indiana Camp Board met in full session on Friday evening August 13 and all day Saturday August 14, 2010 with all members present. The insurance claim is rather specific and involves the determination of the amounts of various different losses. One example is the loss of personal property of the full time staff. The policy allows for one amount for personal property losses but if the staff person is clergy, the amount is significantly higher. In our case, Curt Rowland and Mike Kauffman are Ordained Ministers so they qualify for greater coverage than other staff. It is believed that the staff is getting adequate compensation for the losses of personal property they incurred in the fire. At the same time some personal items have much deeper meaning than their cash value. The memories they bring and the meaning attached to how they were obtained is irreplaceable. Some examples are special Bibles and specifically the guitar belonging to Curt Rowland. In this case the love and support of the home congregation takes over. The Union Center congregation surprised Curt with a new guitar. This is how fresh memories and fresh meanings are started, the new wine coming from tragedy.
The insurance company hired an adjuster to develop a “replacement value” for Becker Lodge. At the time of the meeting that was still on going and as of August 24th Rex Miller our executive director was in final negotiations on that valuation. As of now we don’t yet know the final settlement from the Insurance Company
Some of the questions we are asked regard what has been recovered? Most of the kitchen equipment is salvageable. We have removed it and our wonderful volunteers have been cleaning it and preparing it for re-use. This is great news because several pieces were only a year or two old. The new walk-in freezer was unhurt and will be re-installed when ready. All the clothing in the store was recovered but despite great efforts to clean it most of it was not able to be brought back to salable condition. The serving carts that were on the porch outside the building and under the deck were basically untouched and were put into service immediately after the fire in the temporary dining area outside Quinter-Miller Auditorium. There was a Saur Bible donated by the Joe Custer Family that had been on display in a glass case near the entrance to Becker Lodge. A few days before the fire, that Bible had been removed but no one was sure where it went. It was discovered on the floor of a closet in the office. It was soaked but showed no sign of burning. Rex believes that using technology and techniques available today it can be restored. Several other minor items have been recovered and our records stored in a fire proof file cabinet are ok as well.
The demolition of the burned building started on Monday August 16th. As of the 24th they are about ½ complete and expect the work to be completed by Labor Day. One of the criteria used to select the company that is doing the demolition was what they were going to do with the debris upon removal. We are quite concerned about the environmental impact. The company we selected is taking effort to separate any thing that can be recycled or reused. There is a surprising amount of metals that are coming out the building and it is all being recycled. We are attempting to recover all of the carved limestone from the Front Entrance and the fireplace and as much of the stone columns as we can. The plan is to have volunteers clean the stone and make is reusable in future buildings.
A major and immediate issue was the relocation of the utilities. All the electrical service and gas service came into Becker Lodge and then was dispersed from there. The primary water source for the entire site was the well in Becker Lodge. We worked with the State of Indiana to get approval for a “temporary utility house” to be built several yards away from Becker Lodge in the parking/delivery area near the Yurt Village. Several volunteers, staff and a contractor worked to build the utility house, remove the utilities from the Becker structure and re-install them in the Utility building. This included the water service. At the time of the fire, the well at Becker Lodge became unavailable but with the opening and closing of some valves the whole camp was switched to water from a 4" well located near Sarah Major Lodge. This well of course does not have the capacity of the Becker well and this caused some need for “water sharing” to meet all the needs. But that issue is now behind us. The Temporary Utility House will be removed when it is no longer needed.
The big question on everyone’s mind is “What are they going to do?” By unanimous vote the Indiana Camp Board decided to embrace the Master Site Plan developed in 2000 with some revisions and updates. The Major decision was to begin immediately to construct a new Dining Facility and Welcome Center. The Board met with Bob Bosserman an architect from Ft Wayne with strong Church of the Brethren ties and the developer of the plans for Shamberger Lodge. We physically walked the grounds and looked at various locations suggested in the site plan for the new Dining Center/ Welcome Center. We discussed what was important to us regarding architecture, views of the lake, etc. It was decided to construct the Welcome Center (which will be the administrative offices) and the Dining Center/Kitchen as two buildings joined by a “Commons” area or “Gathering Area”. The idea is to enter the whole facility through the Commons area and then turn one way to enter the Welcome Center or the opposite way to enter the Dining facility/Kitchen area. The Camp Store and restrooms will also be entered from the Commons area. This facility will be located cross the entrance road east of Quinter-Miller Auditorium just south of where the roads cross. It is our intention to have the “foot print” of this building marked out on the grass at Camp Mack Festival on the first Saturday of October. The purpose for locating the building in that area is to keep the “business side” of the Camp operations separated from the “program side” by not allowing the delivery trucks, people with business at the Camp etc from coming very far into the Camp Grounds and thus affecting the programming and atmosphere the program is trying to provide. The Dining Center will be have a total dining capacity of about 300 persons with the ability to be divided into three sections, two of which will hold 60 persons and a “main area” that will hold 180 persons. This versatility fits well with the size and number of the various groups we have historically served. It is anticipated that this building will be ready for use no later than June 1, 2011. We hope to have the “structure” of the building in place before winter so weather will not affect the construction schedule.
In the interim, we are seeking authorization to install the kitchen from Becker Lodge on a slab currently behind Ulrich House. We will fully enclose the slab of course and use the basement of Ulrich as the dining room. This should allow us to fully operate the fall, winter and spring programming as usual.
The plans for a replacement of Becker Lodge have been set in motion, but mostly it revolves around what the facility needs really are for the rental groups we hope to attract. We have known for several years that many interested and financially attractive groups decide to go elsewhere because they are looking for “semi-private, double occupancy” lodging. Basically that means something like a hotel room, two beds and a bath in each room. We had 11 such rooms in the upper level of Becker Lodge but most of the groups interested in using our facility want 20 to 30 such rooms. We plan to have a kitchenette with small eating spaces in the building so that inclement weather will not affect the ability of rental groups to be served their meals. We can prepare the meals and then transport the food to the building where it can be served. We need to ask God’s guidance as we move ahead with planning this building.
Will the new building resemble the original Becker Lodge? Probably not much. It is critical to remember the original Becker Lodge was originally named “Becker Hotel” and the large porch was designed for cars to drive under, unload and move on. There was a large “Front Desk” where people registered. A wide stair case lead to the upper level and another lead to the lower level. I’ll bet many of you can remember these things! All of those things went away with the remodeling that was done in the 1970’s and late 1980’s. Today, the needs and demands of the user groups and rental groups along with the building codes and requirements of the American Camp Association have changed dramatically and we must change with them if we are to remain viable and able to offer programming that reaches people for Christ. It is the express desire of the Indiana Camp Board that what ever shape or form the New Becker Retreat Center takes, as programming and accreditation requirements evolve it will be a building that meets the needs of the Ministry of Camp Alexander Mack for the next 80 to 100 years. I can promise you that all new buildings we construct in the future will have a sprinkler system installed as required by the State Building Code!
The last question many may ask as we announce these exciting and aggressive plans is “Do you have the money to afford to do all this?” Without being too flippant, my response is “There is never enough money to do everything”. So as a result, donations for the construction of these new facilities are greatly encouraged and deeply appreciated. As we have discussed costs with the Architect and possible contractors one of the major issues we address is “How well do you work with volunteers?” We recognize that the donations of time and “sweat equity” (to borrow a term from our friends at Habitat for Humanity) of those volunteering can significantly impact the cost of construction. As we set schedules for construction, we welcome volunteers who can come and help perform some of the work to be done at specific times.
Other ways to help would be in the donations to purchase specific building materials. If individuals or groups want to pay for “the windows in the Dining Facility” or “the shingles on the Welcome Center”, please contact the Camp to learn how this can be accomplished. But please; don’t just drop off an unused faucet or vanity. There are specific things we need and they need to match!
In closing let me express the extreme appreciation of all members of the Indiana Camp Board for the wonderful support, love and prayers expressed for the Staff as they continued to provide the Ministry of the Camp throughout this crisis. These people sometimes continued when it seemed there was no more energy left. But they knew that if they did, they were making it possible for perhaps one more lost soul to find the love, peace and joy of Jesus Christ. That made it all worthwhile.
Michael Dilling, Chair
Indiana Camp Board.
