Ness Lake Bible Camp had some fire insurance, but restoring an aged building of that size, and all its unique recreation equipment will cost much more than they will receive.
The camp's main multipurpose hall - a gymnasium, climbing wall, chapel, large gathering space, etc. - burned to the ground on New Year's Eve.
It was also the camp's electricity hub, so eight other buildings including the dining facility are still without power. Some of the buildings are serviced by natural gas, and generous supporters have loaned the facility generators, but interim camp director Will Born is calling their existence right now "limping along" amid cancelations by user groups and investigations by various officials.
The fire's cause is still classified as "undetermined" with little chance of learning the true source of ignition after the inferno and firefighting effort destroyed so much of the place.
"The camp will need to do some fundraising, that much is definite," Born said. "The community has already come forward to help in many ways and we - the board, the staff, the supporters - are working on plans to involve the general community in putting things back to rights."
The camp has been carefully non-denominational over its 57-year history, and has been a beloved recreation site for secular functions as well as Christian activities, year round.
That night there were 25 youth there with 20 volunteer staff doing a stay-over New Year's Eve party in a safe environment.
There was also about 20 people in another part of the camp enjoying a family reunion. Eight paid staff were also there.
"Our evacuation procedures worked to a T," he said. "I was able to focus on the fire because Ruthie Jutzler (programming co-ordinator) enacted those procedures and conducted the evacuation so well."
When the fire was discovered it was already too late to save the building and so hot the rest of the camp's facilities were at imminent risk, Born explained. He considers it a testament to fast work by staff (the camp had some firefighting equipment that was put into use) and the response from the Ness Lake Volunteer Fire Department (and supporting departments) that several other structures didn't go up in smoke, too.
Work was already underway this weekend to build a small stand-alone building to house the camp's electricity relays. Once the investigations and assessments by the insurance company are completed, the next step will be revisioning the replacement of the building.
"It was also a storage facility for a lot of our sports equipment, the indoor climbing wall, tables, chairs, props, ladders, skateboard ramps, and it is all lost," Born said. "The camp has been around here for so long and means so much to the community in general that yeah, there is a sense of sadness and some gloom, but there is also a need to move on quickly to restore those services to the community, so God has provided an opportunity side to this event. We have a reality to deal with, so we want to make the most of the opportunity. Now that we are past the shock of it, and everyone's health was OK, we can look for the hope and the excitement in moving forward."
