What Would Happen if Camp Sales were Halted? What would happen if camp sales were halted for re-evaluation? How could we afford to do what needs done?
Start with the basics: accurate information.
We need to track what our members want and what they they actually use. This starts with the registration department. It's not just about camping. We need to assess how each and every department contributes to programming that is unique to Girl Scouting.
For the camps themselves: again it's back to the basics. Opening all the usable sites will immediately decrease the waiting list.
Cost savings:
Ledgewood won't have to be torn up for sewage lines if Crowell/Hilaka and Lejnar stay open for the newer campers who feel they need flush toilets (both Crowell/Hilaka and Lejnar have multiple flush toilets).
Sugarbush and Ledgewood both have functioning pools. There is no rush to repair pools at other camps if lake swimming or other water fun is available.
There is no need to dream up and construct “unique features that will attract girls” if we keep the swinging bridge and bouncy floor and other features of the Kirby estate at Crowell/Hilaka, or the unique lake and creeks at Lenjar that are used for swimming, and creek hiking to the waterfalls.
Structures that are too expensive to repair need to be torn down, with materials salvaged where possible.
As we have heard repeatedly, PROGRAM drives the property decisions.
Simple, creative programming brings in the girls. Free or low cost volunteer-run programs at camp both increase camp usage at that time and spark interest in later site rentals. Using and keeping good volunteers is a better strategy for attracting new participants than building new facilities.
Volunteers need to be more involved in camp maintenance and camp programming. Camp maintenance can be worked into annual programs that include girls. Other organizations make such programs successful annual events, or recruit corporations to donate their time and materials for free as part of the required volunteer components.
Prioritizing the costs: The council has an annual income of about 10 million dollars. 10% of that goes to the camps. Yet camping is by far the largest, most used, council-supported program. We should be spending more on it than we do! We may we need to decrease spending elsewhere until we catch up with the deferred maintenance projects such as the reserve capacity of the lower lake at Crowell Hilaka. But creative solutions need to be considered. It may be that the reserve capacity could be increased with the addition of relatively inexpensive retaining pools upstream. We will have to pay for professional advice for this and for other large projects, but it will be worth the expense to have the full range of options.
NEW! EXCITING! FUN! DIFFERENT! While we are taking care of the basics, we will be looking ahead. There can be a locked suggestion box at each camp for girls to comment on what they like and what additional features they would like to see. Bulletin boards with themes and ideas will spark discussion. The process of gathering girl input will be on-going and on-site. We will also look at what kinds of programs work well at each property. We will start identifying themes for each camp that will differentiate it from the others. Then we will start building around those themes. We will grow our camps in stages.
New ideas should be experimented with. The yurt village idea proposed by the board is a good one. Although not seven of them simultaneously! Set one up and see how it goes. The second one at a different camp will incorporate everything we learn from the first.
In the long run, properties with sparse usage will need to be re-purposed or sold. But they will be sold in good shape and in a better market.
We need to track what our members want and what they they actually use. This starts with the registration department. It's not just about camping. We need to assess how each and every department contributes to programming that is unique to Girl Scouting.
For the camps themselves: again it's back to the basics. Opening all the usable sites will immediately decrease the waiting list.
Cost savings:
Ledgewood won't have to be torn up for sewage lines if Crowell/Hilaka and Lejnar stay open for the newer campers who feel they need flush toilets (both Crowell/Hilaka and Lejnar have multiple flush toilets).
Sugarbush and Ledgewood both have functioning pools. There is no rush to repair pools at other camps if lake swimming or other water fun is available.
There is no need to dream up and construct “unique features that will attract girls” if we keep the swinging bridge and bouncy floor and other features of the Kirby estate at Crowell/Hilaka, or the unique lake and creeks at Lenjar that are used for swimming, and creek hiking to the waterfalls.
Structures that are too expensive to repair need to be torn down, with materials salvaged where possible.
As we have heard repeatedly, PROGRAM drives the property decisions.
Simple, creative programming brings in the girls. Free or low cost volunteer-run programs at camp both increase camp usage at that time and spark interest in later site rentals. Using and keeping good volunteers is a better strategy for attracting new participants than building new facilities.
Volunteers need to be more involved in camp maintenance and camp programming. Camp maintenance can be worked into annual programs that include girls. Other organizations make such programs successful annual events, or recruit corporations to donate their time and materials for free as part of the required volunteer components.
Prioritizing the costs: The council has an annual income of about 10 million dollars. 10% of that goes to the camps. Yet camping is by far the largest, most used, council-supported program. We should be spending more on it than we do! We may we need to decrease spending elsewhere until we catch up with the deferred maintenance projects such as the reserve capacity of the lower lake at Crowell Hilaka. But creative solutions need to be considered. It may be that the reserve capacity could be increased with the addition of relatively inexpensive retaining pools upstream. We will have to pay for professional advice for this and for other large projects, but it will be worth the expense to have the full range of options.
NEW! EXCITING! FUN! DIFFERENT! While we are taking care of the basics, we will be looking ahead. There can be a locked suggestion box at each camp for girls to comment on what they like and what additional features they would like to see. Bulletin boards with themes and ideas will spark discussion. The process of gathering girl input will be on-going and on-site. We will also look at what kinds of programs work well at each property. We will start identifying themes for each camp that will differentiate it from the others. Then we will start building around those themes. We will grow our camps in stages.
New ideas should be experimented with. The yurt village idea proposed by the board is a good one. Although not seven of them simultaneously! Set one up and see how it goes. The second one at a different camp will incorporate everything we learn from the first.
In the long run, properties with sparse usage will need to be re-purposed or sold. But they will be sold in good shape and in a better market.