Push Camp 2007: Part 2

In part 2 in the Push Camp series, I’ll be discussing the projects we planned and show you some “before” and “during” pictures. Tomorrow, for part 3, I’ll wrap up the week and show you the “after” pictures.

There were 5 major projects and a multitude of other, smaller projects. The most involved of all the planned work was the construction of a deck to be built onto the back of the Arts & Crafts Building. Jeff Veres, ASCCA Maintenance Supervisor, was placed in charge of this group and came up with a plan, as the deck would be built from scratch.

Another major project was finishing the pool deck. The framework had already been completed, and this group, under supervision of Matt Rickman, was responsible for putting down the decking boards and erecting a fence around the exterior. Personally, I think this will turn out to be the most popular of all the projects. I can’t wait for the first pool party so we can take advantage of this fine structure.

Josh Rhodes was in charge of the next project. He would be taking a group to the garden area where they were to improve the accessibility of the ASCCA Garden and add two new raised flower beds. This group would have to use shovels, a tiller, the tractor, and man-power to break-up the ground and complete their task.

The proactive safety project of the week was to improve the Zip-tower. Nathan Waters had determined that the top portion of the inclined climbing wall posed a possible hazard, and he came up with a plan to prevent campers from swinging around underneath the ramp. His group would also be charged with adding boards to the bottom of the inclined wall, where additional climbing holds would be placed.

The final major project would be the refurbishing of our trash can bins. These bins were built some years ago by another Push America group and over time have become a little unstable. This was my group and our task would have four parts. First, we would collect all the bins and rebuild new lids for each one. Second, we would build two new bins from scratch and add brace pieces to the interior of the old bins, for support. Third, we wanted to make sure the bins had a solid foundation on which to rest. We would be leveling off the ground and placing a flat stone that would act as a base for the the bins. Finally, we would re-paint all the bins, new and old, and re-place them in their appropriate locations.

Some of the other projects included: renovations to the old adminstators house, staining the George Proctor Bridge, re-roofing a storage shed, pressure washing the deck behind the dining hall, and hanging gourds for Purple Martins. These projects would be done by a hand-full of guys and they would be doing a new job almost everyday.

Check out Flickr for more “before” and “during” photos and check back tomorrow for the final installment about Push Camp 2007.