News of Camp Glen Gray

Read all about the latest news at camp:

• Roof work: Replacing roof shingles is an on-going project as we work hard to keep camp in good condition. The latest cabin to get a new roof is Gilwell Cabin - Thanks to cabin sponsor Troop 23, Bloomfield and lots of thanks to Jerry Murnane. Next up should be the Dining Hall.
• Camp Signs on Route 202: A car accident took out the camp sign on Route 202. Temporary signs have been installed until our brand new sign is built and ready to be installed.
• Tindall Lodge: New wooden bunks were installed, the entire cabin outside stained and new cabin steps were built - Thanks to Troop 22 Bloomfield, Jerry Graham and Pete Orrok (amongst others).
• Benedict Cabin: The kitchen area is under construction as well as a new floor, kitchen windows, paneling & counters by Bob Brenneck & crew. We will have a Grand Re-opening of this cabin in the fall to show off how great it looks and recognize its namesake Kim Benedict.
• Trail Update: Wait till you see the new trail descriptions currently being prepared by Al Bentley for all you hikers. They take good advantage of the well marked trails in camp (thanks to the folks from the NY/NJ Trail Conference).
• Wooden Bunk Project: Camp was very lucky to get the donation of lots of heavy duty wooden bunks. They have replaced the very old metal bunks at Benedict Lodge, Gilwell Cabin, Channel Cabin, Tindall Lodge, Price Cabin and the adult portion of the Troop 2, Verona, Cabin. A very big project that will pay dividends for years to come.
• BALOO Training Session: Once again, this Cub Scout training session was successfuly coordinated by Nancy Garelick and Charlie Vanyo on March 28, 2009. Fifty one participants and thirteen staff enjoyed their learning and had fun doing it at camp.
• Beaver Day on April 25, 2009: There was a great turnout of some 55 volunteers tackling about 16 different projects including:
  • New porch railings at HQ Building
  • New propane heater in Campmaster Quarters
  • Repair of the stone wall in front of HQ Building
  • Scraping and staining of one side of Glen Cabin
  • Raking and cleaning up around several cabins and culverts
  • Cleaning out the shower house
  • Demolition of an unused chimney at the Troop 13 Cabin
  • Staining the back wall at the loading dock behind the Dining Hall where a new storage shed will be built as an Eagle Project
  • Door repairs on the camp's pick-up truck
  • Repairs to the Campmaster Cabin toilet sewage pipe
• With ol' man winter howling in the "Glen", a hardy crew tore out the ceiling of Benedict Lodge to start the rehabbing of the building. With a new roof and related repairs previously done, we have stopped the water leaks that had caused damage to the old ceiling and insulation. After shoring up some damged rafters and replacing all the insulation, a new ceiling has been installed. We also found the SE wall of the cabin heavily damaged and repaired that as well. The crew will be back to finish the the trim work. etc. shortly so this major task was done without taking the cabin out of service. Other recent work includes a ramp on the front door (making the cabin handicapped acessible) and a new set of stairs on the back door. Many, MANY thanks go out to the hard working crew of Ranger Drew Baumgardt, Bob Brenneck, Jerry Murnane, Doug Morongell, Joe Pastore, Pete Orrok, Chris Jones, Irv Konner, and the sparkplug that keeps the work engine going - Randy Holden. As fast as Ranger Drew comes up with new projects, our work crew rolls up their sleeves to do the job. Some pictures of the crew at work.
  Still to be done is new siding for the outside walls and new built-in bunks.
• Maintenance and upgrade projects continue to make our camp better. Some other recent work includes:
  • New Carpeting was put on all of the aluminum waterfront dock sections
  • New roofs were put on the Ranger's house and Old Guard Cabin. Troop 2 Verona Cabin not only got a new roof, but skylights were installed to brighten the interior.
  • Six new fire doors were installed in the Dining Hall
  • The Gilwell Latrine was completely rebuilt and a new washstand installed
  • Two new picnic tables were provided for the Glen and Gray Cabins
  • New wood bunks were installed in the Gray cabin
  • Counters, stove tops and sinks were installed in the Glen & Gray Cabins
  • The parking lot telephone shelter was rebuilt
  • Created a brand new lean-to site at the recently dedicated McMullen Field
• Eagle Scouts have been doing their Eagle projects at camp. This is permitted as Camp Glen Gray is not a Boy Scout property. Check with Ranger Drew for possible projects by calling camp. Some recent Eagle projects include new drinking fountains around camp, new wash stands at several campsites, a new pay phone shelter in the parking lot, and some fantastic new screen doors at the dining hall. Several more projects are in the works.
• Cabin Sponsors have been busy:
  • Troop 12, Montclair is completely rebuilding the latrine at their cabin
  • Troop 2, Verona paid for cabin skylights and did the cleanup after the roofers replaced the roof on their cabin
  • Troop 23, Bloomfield completed the storage shed up at Gilwell Cabin
  • Troop 31, Ramsey has cut back brush up at Price Cabin
  • Troop 6, West Orange and Troop 132, Old Tappan have plans to build decks onto Benedict Lodge and Explorer Cabin respectively
  • Troop 13, Montclair has done maintenance work on the chimney at their cabin
  • Projects are in the planning stages for both Rotary Cabin and Tindall Lodge
• The completely rebuilt Library was dedicated on October 19, 2008. It houses the Frederick H. Blake Museum as well as being a place to hold small gatherings. The building will be known as the John C. Whitehead Library in honor of a good friend of camp.
• There's always something being worked on at camp and we would love to have you and your family/friends/co-workers/group/unit help us.
  Camp Work Day Info

Well, that's just some of what's been going on at camp. If I've forgotten to thank someone, please forgive me. There's so much work always going on, that's its easy to forget one of the projects. We would enjoy having you with us to camp, hike, fish, boat, help improve camp, have a picnic and just enjoy yourself. Camp is great medicine with no side effects.

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Last updated: July 19, 2009

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