Girl Scout camp gets post-flood fix up

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Girl Scout camp gets post-flood fix up

United Way, Girl Scout volunteers rip out water-damaged materials

Times Record News - Wichita Falls,TX*

By Langdon/Times Record News

July 29, 2007

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/trn/local_news/article/0,1891,TRN_5784

_5649855,00.html

Sally ez remembers her days as a Girl Scout, and memories of

the camping she got to do as a scout still make her eyes light up.

" It's just all fun, and then meeting new girls, the songs, the

outdoors, " she said.

She hopes her daughter and the other girls she works with as a troop

leader at Sheppard Air Force Base will also get a chance to

experience all the fun themselves.

Before troops will be able to camp again at Camp Stonewall

near Holliday, however, a lot of work lies ahead to clean up the

mess this summer's flooding left behind.

ez joined a crew of volunteers assembled by the United Way to

help clean up the camp Saturday. They got to work gutting a building

that filled with anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet of water when the

flooding hit.

The NorCenTex Girl Scouts Council at first didn't know how much

damage the flooding had done to the campsite. When the water rushed

over a concrete bridge after the heavy rains, it kept everyone out

until it receded.

When members of the council first reached the building that stands

far down a path into the campgrounds, they had to push away grass

that was as tall as they are, said Gail , executive director of

the NorCenTex Council.

The building, which hosts all-council meetings and other events,

held bad news when the doors finally opened. A mix of moisture and

the dark, closed building resulted in badly bowed ceiling tiles, not

to mention some " nice, pretty green fuzz, " said. The paneling

that stood in the water was warped. Black mold lined some of the

places the water touched, and lines of grime and mold on the walls

helped point to how high the water had risen.

The volunteers Saturday hauled out insulation and other pieces of

the building, and it's going to be overhauled to get rid of any

signs of the mold and rising waters.

The council has flood insurance, but there's a $10,000 deductible.

Summer's heat usually keeps activity at the campsite low about this

time, but things really pick up during the fall.

" The peak season is usually the fall, which is unfortunately when

they can't come, " at least this year, it appears, said. Once

the initial cleanup is done, there'll be plenty of renovation work,

and she just doesn't think it will be finished by the fall.

Even so, they're trying not to cancel very much.

The council is looking for alternative sites to give the girls

camping experiences.

Financial donations are wonderful, and the council would also

welcome help from people who can offer supplies such as sheetrock

and from anyone who can help with the labor, said.

A couple of much-appreciated offers of help have already poured in.

Even though Camp Stonewall is closed to campers and other

activities right now, that shouldn't at all discourage girls who are

thinking about joining the Girl Scouts from signing up, said

Wheat, marketing director and product manager for the NorCenTex

Council. The flooding at the camp doesn't affect the other programs

at all.

The volunteers wore long pants and masks as they worked Saturday,

and they had a few encounters with wolf spiders that had set up camp

around the building.

Girl Scout camp gives girls a chance to see things and learn about

things they might not otherwise come across - for example, that a

wolf spider won't hurt them, said.

" They just don't get a chance to do much outdoors anymore, " she

said, adding that the opportunities to camp out and try their hands

at different activities are priceless for hundreds of girls every

year.

The costs that come with the flood cleanup and repairs will most

likely push back ideas that were in the early planning stages for

improvements to the site, added.

Saturday's work aimed to get the moisture out of the building and to

target the places where the mold was growing.

The council worked with the United Way, and the United Way put

together this team of volunteers.

" All I did was tell them what I needed and they said, 'OK, here's

what you've got,' " said.

The group worked through the day Saturday.

ez said she hadn't talked about the flooding yet with the

girls - she wanted to see its effects for herself first. She was

happy to see so many people working together to bring the camp back

to good condition.

" Hopefully my daughter could come camping, " ez said. " I want

to get it fixed for all the girls. "

Reporter Langdon can be reached at (940) 763-7530 or by e-

mail at langdonj(at)TimesRecordNews.com.

How to help

The NorCenTex Council welcomes financial and other help from the

community as it works to clean and renovate Camp Stonewall

after this summer's flooding.

Donations may be sent to:

Girl Scouts, NorCenTex Council

2106 Kemp Boulevard

Wichita Falls, Texas 76309