The Bridging Generations Capital Campaign kicked off with a dinner at the Marriott hotel here Saturday.
Squanto is used primarily by children and youth. Mayflower is an adult camp and conference facility.
Squanto’s current dining hall is 50 years old – more than 200,000 meals have been served in the facility, says Executive Director Dave Cairns. “Without a major rebuilding effort soon, the dining hall would most likely face closure in the future,” Cairns says.
The reconstructed dining hall will be winterized and include living space so that it can be used year round. Currently, camps are held only seven weeks of the year at Squanto due to the building’s limitations. The new building can be used 52 weeks a year.
The proposed facility will accommodate 200 diners in the summer. Living space will house 40 staff during the summer and be available for campers the rest of the year. During non-summer use, the dining area will be divided so that part of it can be used for games, activities, and meetings. Each of the building’s two floors will be 5,000 square feet.
Cairns says he hopes construction can begin in summer 2010. Work on the multi-purpose facility would begin following completion of the dining hall.
The 15,000-square-foot building will include a gymnasium, two classrooms, a game room, and locker room.
Cairns says a 10 percent buffer margin has been built into the planned construction costs for both buildings.
