LYNN — Camp Fire North Shore, known for its summer and after-school programming, is undergoing a $175,000 facelift.
The upgrades at the organization’s main facility on the Lynn/Salem line were made possible thanks to three generous donations, which will enable Camp Fire to provide year-round programming to approximately 80 students.
Currently, Camp Fire is only able to serve approximately 26 students at its 2 Cain Road location during the school year, according to Executive Director Laurie Hamill, who noted that the renovations will allow for a “big expansion” of the program.
“We are excited to begin these long-overdue renovations to the existing camp building on the Cain Road site,” said Hamill. “Thanks to these amazing benefactors, we can move forward on the first phase of this project that will not only allow us to serve more North Shore youth, but also allow us to offer year-round programming on-site.”
The donations, which include a $50,000 contribution from Camp Lion of Lynn and the Lynn Lions Club, $25,000 from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, and a $100,000 commitment over three years from the Gerondelis Foundation, will cover the entire cost of the first phase of the “significant” repairs needed to modernize the 1960s camp building.
“We haven’t really drafted exactly what the next steps will be,” said Hamill. “However, we do have some thoughts and some plans to move forward with additional improvements to the facility itself, (including) to the in-ground pool and to the infrastructure of the property.
“I’m not aware of any major renovations through the years,” she added. “Camp Fire North Shore has been located there for decades. Through the years there were minor improvements, but nothing to this magnitude.”
The camp building, which has served youth since the 1960s, will receive structural repairs, along with the installation of heat, air conditioning and updated heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. When complete, the building will have new, handicap-accessible bathrooms, indoor changing rooms, an updated kitchen, and expanded program space, according to information provided by Camp Fire North Shore.
Renovations started in late December and are scheduled to be completed in April, Hamill said.
Camp Fire North Shore’s facility is situated on 75 acres of wooded land, and includes hiking trails and the Spring Pond Reservoir. The organization serves approximately 200 campers a day during the summer months at the Lynn/Salem location, and also provides out-of-school time programming in seven Lynn elementary schools during the school year, Hamill said.
“Our goal is to be able to provide year-round out-of-school time programming up at the 2 Cain Road location,” said Hamill. “We’re planning to not only provide the summer camp at 2 Cain Road, but to be able to provide the before- and after-school programming, and at some point open up a teen center. That would be in addition to being inside the schools.”
Hamill said the organization is currently providing full-day remote learning through the end of the school year, but typically provides before- and after-school programming during the school year as well. She expects that families enrolled in both programs will be “thrilled” when they learn about the improvements that are being made at the facility.
“It’s long overdue,” she said.