Archived News Update

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Formwork for the concrete slab begins.

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Construction began today on the 2nd set of Multiplex Cabins at Samish Campground. Eric expects the foundation forms will be going in this week. Today was a typical day for Eric and Taylor to be working at Samish. We had high winds and rain most of the day.

The Samish History Project. What is it? A collection of photos and memories of Samish Island Campground. Over the next 6-8 months, we will be digitizing photographs, interviewing people, and collecting memories on video tape to create a documentary type DVD about the Samish Island Campground. The DVD will be about 45-60 minutes in length with photographs of Samish Island Campground past and present. The DVD will be made available for fundraising purposes. If you have a story to tell, or a photo to share, please contact your congregational Samish Representative or webmaster@cofchrist-gpnw.org

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Waiting for CAMPERS!!

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They are almost ready!!!

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With the help of a few, the dormitory cabins are under construction. BC Reunion helped with the roofing and siding. This week fire sprinklers are to be installed. Camp Kimtah may be the first camp to use the new cabins, provided we pass the county inspection.

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With the help of a few, the dormitory cabins are under construction. Camp Mungai campers pounded nails and helped with joist hangers. This week Seattle Family Reunion will try to finish as much as possible before BC Reunion takes on the call.

In 1967 men, women, boys, and girls started building 47 cabins. Would have been 48 except for that big rock. In 2007 we need to build just two. In July, before Chimacum, Kimtah and Klaune. They are counting on these dorm cabins. So was Mungai, but we couldnt get the building permit in time. We have it now. The foundations are poured. A big pile of lumber is just sitting there. So here’s the deal. How about the guys build one. And the gals build the other! Moms, daughters, aunts, nieces, grand moms and great grand moms! Come cut, measure, haul, pound, dig, sweep, staple and paint. Be a forewoman. Be a foreman! Spend an hour, or a couple of hours. A day or a couple of days.

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Thanks to Marsha Osborn for being our SUPER model.

"I can tell you the ones in the cabins are thrilled with them. They are giving us some suggestions as to little things we can do to complete the furnishings and some next time thoughts. Hazel Bauer said after the first night, "I have never had a better nights sleep at Samish". At 91 that is something I will never forget and I will always cherish the comment. It has all been worth it. Our first offering for the Dev. Fd was in excess of $2300. We have another one on Wed. We have a $10,000 matching challenge for all Dev. Fds donated during the 5 Samish Reunions this summer. So..... the $2300 equates to $4600. I think we can start preparing to build the next two starting in Sept." - Glen Fishel

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The "E" cabins are awaiting the final inspection from the County. After they pass inspection, the furniture will be moved in, and campers will be able to use them. The RV park is ready for use now, with improved utility hook-ups and wider level parking spaces. We hope to see you at camp this summer. May you become inspired to help complete Phase 1 of our Master Plan.
Who's ready for a new bathhouse?

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Glen Fishel and Penny Chapman took a couple shots of the cabin exterior yesterday. The greens are just the first coat. They were rolled on and touch up is still required. Myron and Glen are also working on improvements around the RV service stanchions. The West row is done. They hope to work on the center and East rows the next couple weeks. Eric expects to do the final grading around the cabins sometime between tuesday and Thursday. We then can start forming the sidewalks.

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Interior work continues.

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The cabins have been insulated and are waiting interior finish. Exterior siding is on and waiting for paint. For a sample of the paint schemes, click here.

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All the under ground work for the cabins is completed. Once the exterior is finished, final grading touches will be done. The electrical rough in should be done this week. Eric M. started the exterior siding Monday evening. Electrical inspection should come next week then insulation and interior walls. The RV area was fertilized last Tuesday, in hopes of root growth enhancement.

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With the roof on the cabins, and the fire sprinkler system being installed, GPNW Mission Center President Kathy Sharp visits the work site to see the progress in person. Glen Fishel, John Worlund, Myron Schall, and Terry Smiley show Kathy around the campground, explaining Phase one of the Master Plan, and talk about fundraising.

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Eric was in the final stages of installing the roof. He had four pieces of metal to install and a short piece of crown to install to complete the roof. Yesterday he had a ditch digger out and they opened the ditch for the propane line from the propane tank to the north cabin, a ditch for the downspout pipe to the surface drain line, openings to the sewer line stubs for the restroom connections and some ditching to help drain water from the perimeter of the cabins.

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Thanks to Glen Fishel for the recent photos of the new cabin construction.

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Thanks to Penny Chapman for the recent photos of the new cabin construction. Tyvek and windows installed. Metal roofing to be installed soon.

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Thanks to Glen Fishel for the recent photos of the new cabin construction. As you can see, roof sheathing is going on, which means roofing isn't far behind. Our hope is to have the cabins "dried in" by Christmas. Windows will be installed shortly.

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Thanks to Penny Chapman for the photos.

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Monday, Nov. 20th at 10am the roof trusses arrived and were placed by crane on the cabin frames. It was quite windy and Eric and Taylor had a difficult time standing on the outside walls to guide the truss packages into place. They were successful and did not fall off. It was too windy for them to try to place the trusses in place so instead they put up the columns and beams for the porches.

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Last Wednesday Glen Fishel went out and arrived just as the last two sheets of OSB were being put on the second cabin to complete the exterior wall framing of it. Eric said that they were going to set braces on the walls to insure plumb and then take the measurements for the truss package and get it ordered.

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The schedule has been cleared and framing will be done at a much faster pace. We can expect roof trusses to be arriving in the next few weeks. Funds are needed now for the construction of a new bathhouse. The faster we raise the money, the sooner we can start building the next phase.

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I took a couple shots last Friday morning at the construction site. Heavy rains during the mid week slowed the progress last week. Eric Meinke (contractor) advised that the concrete pour for the slabs is scheduled for Tuesday, sept. 26th. As you can see the forms are pretty much ready to go. The electrical changeover from 400 amp service to 600 amp service is progressing well. They were doing a rough in inspection when I was there so I have no pictures for that. The surface drain line is installed up to the Dining Hall turnaround from the Scott Rd. ditch.
-Glen Fishel

Construction for the RV pads and drainage system. Thanks goes to Glen Fishel.

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Formwork for the cabin foundations are being set up.

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First images of the construction for the ADA cabins and RV pads. Thanks goes to Penny Chapman.

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Construction Contracts Status
1. Legal Services approval to sign contract with Cross Creek Construction (Eric Meinke- General Contractor for ADA Multiplex Cabins) - completed. Contract is signed.
3. Legal Services approval to sign contract with Jansma Construction, Inc. of Mount Vernon for Grading of ADA Cabin area and RV Sites has been received. Contract was signed September 1st, 2006. (See "RV Park Plan Revision" below for information or "RV Parking Area" under "Projects") Jansma Construction plans to start work on September 5th.

RV Park Plan Revision
The bid for the complete refurbishment of the RV Park (i.e. all gravel, terraced sites with ecology blocks, 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical power, new frost free water system, and new sewer lines, etc. that we have been talking about for so long came in at approximately $225,000 plus approximately $40,000 for electrical work. Our main goal for our development plan was to provide better facilities to meet the needs of campers who are elderly, need ADA capabilities, have infant children, and to improve our restroom facilities. It was decided that we needed to reduce the RV Project scope so we could dedicate our financial resources to projects that are directly associated with meeting the primary objectives of the Development. Therefore, we reduced the work statement for the RV Park to meet the requirements of Skagit County and improve the RV sites to make the existing facilities more compatible with our RV clients. The county required that the road to the Dining Hall be widened to 20 feet for ingress and egress of emergency vehicles and we needed to reduce the number of RV sites to 19 to offset having bathrooms in the ADA cabins that will be hooked up to the RV septic system. Therefore, we are going to remove the existing concrete trailer pads, re grade the RV sites to level them with one stall between each existing service standard and leave the area with vegetation rather than apply a heavy mat, heavy rock and crushed gravel. The electrical service will remain at 20 amps. The bid for this revised scope of construction has been accepted at approximately $65,000 plus approximately $23,000 for the electrical power changes that are being made to support the new cabins, the future new restroom and the future expanded RV Park.

This work will be done under the Grading Permit for which we have already received approval. If we decide to complete the total scope of the project within the next three years we will be able to do so without further approvals. All the work that is being done under this reduced scope package is work that is part of the larger project. The expanded plan will be maintained on file to allow us easy transition to the larger scope of work. All we will need is money!!!!!!!!

Online Donations
We are now accepting Online Donations through PayPal. Go to the Paypal link in the lower left corner of this page.

Ground Breakings
Ground breaking ceremonies were held on the Campground near the Dining Hall during each of the three Mission Center Family Reunions held in June and July, 2006. Board members and associates, our general contractor, reunion directors, some visiting World Church ministers and some youth and children took turns digging up a shovel of earth in the vicinity of the location for the new ADA multiplex cabins. Remarks were shared with each group by our Board President, Glen Fishel. Included in these remarks were these words,
"The Community of Christ mission is to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love and peace. We have a vision of the kingdom where Jesus Christ is truly honored, where God's will is done on earth, where the hungry are fed, poverty alleviated, sinners are repentant, and sin is forgiven. We believe that love is the proper foundation of our relationship with others, that opportunity to grow in the likeness of Christ should be fostered, and that the resources of the world can be managed to respect and preserve their creation and purpose. We dream of and work towards a time when all evil is overcome and peace prevails.

The Community of Christ strongly encourages its membership to meet together in experiences that allow the people to embrace this mission objective. The Church camping program and the campground are vital to this process and community living experience. Therefore, the purpose of Samish Island Campground is to provide a peaceful, secure and natural environment in which users of all ages and physical abilities can experience community building, worship, fellowship and recreation that will result in both individual and corporate spiritual growth.

The improvements proposed by this project will enhance the ability of the camp facilities to meet the needs of a number of users who are having difficulty or finding it physically impossible to attend with existing facilities being as they are."
Each ceremony was concluded with a dedication prayer.

Permits Status
1. Special Use Permit - Completed
2. Shoreline Variance for locating the new replacement East Restroom within the 200 foot Shoreline setback area obtained.
3. Shoreline Variance for locating the new Sports Court within the 200 foot Shoreline setback area denied by State of Washington Dept. of Ecology. (Sports Court relocated out of Shoreline setback.)
4. Grading Permit and RV Park Installation Permit Completed.
5. Building Permit for two ADA Multiplex Cabins Completed.

Construction Contracts Status
1. Legal Services approval to sign contract with Cross Creek Construction (Eric Meinke- General Contractor for ADA Multiplex Cabins) - completed. Signing is pending.
2. Legal Services approval to sign contract with Dahl's Valley Electric, Inc. for electrical power distribution systems to RV Park, ADA Cabins and future West Restroom replacement - complete. Contract is signed.
3. Grading Contract for ADA Cabin area and RV Sites is pending. Revised bids should be available during week of August 14th and contract should be signed by August 31st, 2006.

Construction Schedule
Construction of the ADA Cabins, the RV Park refurbishment and electrical power distribution system revisions should commence during 1st or 2nd week of Sept. 2006.

One of our Canadian church members,(to remain anonymous), donated a quantity of Unisex Golf Shirts with a logo on the pocket that says " Samish Island ". The shirts are all one colour, Grey. The shirt sizes are M, L, XL, and XXL. For any donation or gift of $ 50.00 or more, you may have a golf shirt, and receive tax receipt from the Canada West Mission Center or GPNW Mission Center.

Make your Cheque/Check out to "Community of Christ"
memo - Samish Development Fund

For Canadian Donations please send to:
Bill Thederahn, Chairman, Fund Raising in British Columbia
863 Baker Drive,
Coquitlam, B.C., V3J 6W9
e-mail: billinez@shaw.ca

For USA Donations please send to:
Myron Schall, Treasurer, Campground Board of Directors
10529 Samish Island Rd.
Bow, WA 98232-9398
e-mail: mschall@ncia.com

I thank you for your support,
Bill Thederahn