Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 19, 1995 TAG: 9511200048
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Camp Roanoke, which provided a taste of the outdoors for hundreds of Roanoke Valley children between 1925 and 1985, will offer a similar experience to hundreds more if the Roanoke County Parks and Recreation Department has its way.
The county launched a drive Saturday to raise $300,000 to pay for the first phase of the camp's renovation. The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors has already pledged $50,000 toward the work.
A former YMCA camp for boys, the 110-acre property was bought by Roanoke County in 1986. It is situated in the watershed of the county's Spring Hollow Reservoir in southwest Roanoke County near the Montgomery County line.
Many people who stayed at the camp over the years have asked that it be reopened, County Administrator Elmer Hodge said.
Restoration work is under way with the help of Boy Scouts, senior citizens and other volunteers. Paths have been cleared, brush cut and the camp's lodge and dining hall - which, like the rest of the camp, had suffered at the hands of vandals - have been renovated.
During Saturday's fund-drive kickoff at the camp, the dining hall was dedicated with a brass plaque to Lynn Ricker and Ted Susac, two retirees from General Electric Drive Systems in Salem who have put in more than 1,000 volunteer hours renovating the building.
Major items in the first phase of the fund drive include $60,000 for a new swimming pool, $40,000 for a pool bathhouse, $20,000 for a handicapped-accessible bridge and $25,000 for a commercial kitchen in the dining hall. The second phase of the renovation will focus on restoring the camp's eight cabins, each of which will accommodate 10 campers.
The fund drive includes a "buy-a-brick" campaign. Donors of $50 and $100 will have bricks, inscribed with their names and a message, installed on a patio outside the restored dining hall.
The county began using the camp last year as a day camp for its program D.A.R.E. for sixth-graders. It eventually plans to offer residential camping; adult camps; conference and therapeutic retreats; picnic rentals; an elder hostel; and adventure camps with canoeing, rock climbing and other intensive outdoor activities.
The county already has an elaborate ropes course at the camp that has become popular with local businesses, which sign a waiting list to use it to teach their employees the benefits of teamwork.
Hodge said former Assistant County Administrator John Hubbard had suggested the county try to reopen the camp after buying it. Hodge said the county wants to tie the camp to Spring Hollow Reservoir with hiking trails.
Richard Cox, chairman of the county's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, said the camp will be "a place to relax, smell the roses and have some fun."
Anyone wanting more information or to send a donation should write to: Rekindle the Glow, Renovate Camp Roanoke, 1206 Kessler Mill Road, Salem, Va. 24153 or call 387-6172.
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