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Checking it Out
Jeff Koehl, chairman, SPIROL International, stopped by to join Heather Logee, Camp Director, 3 year old “camper in training” Emmett Knowlton, builder Christian Fongemie, and longtime camper “RJ” Smith, to remove the last pieces of old siding on the cabin. Koehl is planning to return with a team from SPIROL to stain the cabin when the residing is complete. In the next two years, adjoining cabins Linden and White Pine will be renewed by pledges from SPIROL. Courtesy photo.
POMFRET — Paper Birch cabin by the lake in the boys’ area at the Windham-Tolland 4-H Camp was built 65 years ago. Re-stained numerous times, in the 1990s, it received a new “top coat” of siding on top of the original. Although it looked better for a while, it was the next cabin chosen to be renewed with completely new siding, shutters, screens, vents and stairs by the Camp Director.
This cabin renewal initiative was undertaken in 2018 with funds raised specifically for each cabin by the Windham County 4-H Foundation. To date four cabins have been completed, stripping them down to the support beams. Earlier this year, SPIROL responded to the Foundation’s fund-raising request by pledging $36,000 over three years to renew one cabin a year, starting this fall.
When Paper Birch’s outside shell was uncovered by builder Christian Fongemie , it was discovered that carpenter ants had enjoyed a cozy little hiding place between the two layers of siding, so some structural repairs needed to be completed before the residing work could begin.
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