finch lodge options

(The green type represents wording added or changed by INWC prior to the Town Meeting)

Goals for new or renovated Finch Lodge:

1. Primary goal: Support the new Cub Scout camping program. Be the cornerstone of Cub Scout camping programs.

2. Secondary goal: Support various Boy Scout activities, training programs, and other council/district Scouting activities

3. Be used for unit activities and outside group rentals when not used for Scouting activities.

4. Winterized building.

5. Multi-use: useable year-round for Scouting, non-Scouting, small and large groups

6. Safety for who uses it.

7. Winterized plumbing.

8. Be able to divide into sections for breakout groups, multiple small groups, etc.

9. Good acoustics to support programming and training in the lodge.

10. The lake views – take advantage of them. Add a deck to the building. note: A deck at the same level as the inside floor would detract from the views. Also, decks can be a problem with ice and snow.

11. Accessible for service trucks, has year-around road.

12. Parking lot close by.

13. Accessible to those with handicaps—meet all ADA standards.

14. How snow drops off building—current configuration is a problem. note: The building in the conceptual drawings would have the same problem.

15. Building to last 75 to 100 years.

16. Energy efficient.

17. User-friendly to use, clean and maintain.

18. Capacity of 350.

19. Useable for large and small groups or for two to three small groups simultaneously.

20. Preserve the history of Camp Cowles.

**We have moved Option #3 to the top because we strongly believe it meets all the stated goals plus a lot more.**
Option #3: Completely restore/renovate the existing Finch lodge – would have to enlarge the building or construct an addition to it. Cost estimate: $2.5 to $6.0 million. This now reads "$2.5 to $4.0 million" in official council sources. ??? (There is no documentation to explain how these numbers were derived and no one qualified in historical rehabilitation has been asked to furnish a conceptual drawing or a serious, written quote.)
Pros	Cons
Keeps an historical building Preserves the history of Camp Cowles to have a major, architect designed building from Camp Cowles's early days.	Historical preservation is not a function of the council We think respect for country and Scout heritage is important in scouting.
Many people will be happy with restoration	Can’t do it effectively This is only unsubstantiated conjecture. No one qualified in historical rehabilitation has been asked to furnish a conceptual drawing or a serious, written quote. We believe we have a viable plan.
Winterized	Still have a small building—addition may take away from the look of the building. Enough of the 1923 building would be exposed to make the size, scale, basic look and detailing of the original building obvious to anyone . No other option provides this advantage.
Meets all health & safety codes	Probably most expensive option. This is only unsubstantiated conjecture. No one qualified in historical rehabilitation has been asked to furnish a serious, written quote.
Potentially meets all goals depending on design and dollars spent	Longest timeline – impairs plan for Cub Scout camp Fund raising may be the biggest timeline determiner.
Keep positive relationship with most volunteers and donors	Could be controversial – to what standard do we restore? Lodge has changed several times over the years. This is no more of a "con" than asking "What design do we use for a new building?" would be a "con".
Council could apply for historical preservation grants.	May be limited by constraints of existing building, renovation costs and renovation or rehabilitation standards We don't know what the costs would be. No one qualified in historical rehabilitation has been asked to furnish a serious, written quote. We believe we have a viable plan.
Can use volunteers to remove paneling and do some of the other preliminary work.	Unexpected cost surprises are most likely to ensue with this option These would be considerably less likely if we got a preservation specialist to do a thorough evaluation and furnish a serious written estimate.
Preserves history and reinforces lessons taught in Architecture, Citizenship and American Heritage merit badges.	Some will question wisdom of use of funds – may lose some potential donors Only if this option is a lot more expensive which we don't believe is true. No one qualified in historical rehabilitation has been asked to furnish a serious, written quote.
Multi-use facility	Hardest to design. Options can be hard to agree on. How is this the hardest to design or agree on?
New building would depreciate with time. A Rehabilitated Finch Lodge will only become more valuable.	Will have to take building to foundation and structural beams to insure integrity so that building will last another 75 to 100 years. The beauty of this building's post and beam construction (and no lath and plaster) is that it could easily be "taken to foundation and structural beams to insure integrity."
Potentially a great "draw" to campers and groups from all over the country. Potentially a draw for new scouts.	It’s likely that the existing structure and foundation will not support the additional weight that insulation, drywall, double-pane windows, sprinkler systems, new electrical systems, etc. will add to the building. The additional weight of these items will be significant and may require upgrades to the foundation and structural supports. Finch Lodge is sturdy post and beam construction. All wood framing between the posts is 16" on center (current code). Wood in the 1920's was better quality with fewer knot holes etc. and a 2X4 was closer to 2" X 4" than today's lumber. The foundation may need some work or even replacement but it is ridiculous to question the general structural strength if this building.
Once begun, everything will have to be upgraded to meet code. We've moved this one to the "PRO" column because safety is important but actually, under Washington State Historic Preservation laws, it is not true that "everything will have to be upgraded to meet code"..
Good Public Relations "Scouts Preserve Their Heritage" makes a great headline.	Will probably end up replacing or significantly altering 75% to 90% of the visible parts of the building—why not rebuild from scratch and save the 10% to 25% that are significant, use them in a new building and save potentially a lot of money and end up with an efficient new building? There is a lot more to an historical building than the visible surfaces. One advantage to preserving a building can be allowing future generations to experience the "feel" of a building. Another advantage is the preserving of information - how buildings were constructed, the quality of the work etc. We would hope to save more but if nothing was saved but the Post-and-Beam construction, the massive roof trusses, the balcony and railing and the two stone fireplaces (they don't even have to function), the building would be well worth saving.
Great rallying symbol for fund raising. Would receive some donations from totally new donors.	Will be a higher long-term maintenance option Newer buildings can have maintenance issues to. Carbon lodge has not been maintenance free.
	The floor on the north side (back of lodge) is below grade resulting in rain and melting snow entering the building. Floor needs to be raised above grade. The current water issues do not come from ground level rain or melting snow.

Option #1: Build a new dining hall (with a completely new design), demolish existing Finch Lodge. Cost estimate: $1.6 to $1.8 million This assessment assumes a new building would be perfect.
Pros	Cons
Easiest to design	History – lose historical building and piece of council history
Speed and cost Washington State SEPA process and required mitigation measures will add time & cost	Lose support from avid volunteers & potential donors.
Maintenance	Options can be hard to agree upon.
Health & safety – meets all codes	Will be very difficult for many people to see the existing building destroyed.
Multi-use facility
Winterized
Will have a building that will last 100 years Unless someone decides to demolish it before then.
Meets all stated goods Does a poor job of preserving the history of Camp Cowles. A few pictures and a plaque is not good enough.
Can build a museum in the new building to display the history and artifacts from the original Finch Lodge Cannot be compared with standing in the hall of 1923 Finch Lodge surrounded by the gothic inspired balcony (and possibly also looking up into massive wooden truss roof supports).
Can use or sell woodwork or stonework from existing building.


Option #2: Build a new dining hall in the look and style of Finch Lodge using key elements from the existing lodge. Save the historical artifacts and place in the balcony area of the new building. Remove and utilize stone and woodwork from the existing lodge to use in new building. Rebuild fireplaces and balcony and other elements with some of the original materials. Once special and unique elements are removed, demolish existing Finch Lodge. Cost estimate: $1.8 to $2.0 million This assessment assumes a new building would be perfect.
Pros	Cons
Preserves several key elements of the historical value of Finch Lodge These elements would be preserved out of their original context so would loose much of their value and create a false sense of history.	Harder to design and build than option 1
New building meets all health & safety codes.	Options can be hard to agree on
Quickest & easiest motion forward Washington State SEPA process and required mitigation measures will add time & cost.	Lose historical building and piece of council history
Have new building that is reminiscent of Finch Lodge and of the same architectural style. Serves the future while preserving the history and memories. Does a poor job of preserving the history of Camp Cowles. A few pictures and a plaque are not good enough.	Taking down woodwork and stone could be time consuming and costly-but volunteers could do this. Picture the potential headline "Boy Scout Volunteers Dismantle Their Own Heritage"
Meets all stated goals	Have to highly publicize what we’re doing
Winterized	Will be very difficult for many people to see the existing building destroyed.
Multi-use facility
Will have a building that will last 75 to 100 years. Unless someone decides to demolish it before then.
Potential to attract donations from people with attachment to Finch Lodge We question this statement.
Can use or sell pine paneling
Can use volunteers to save elements from existing building Picture the potential headline "Boy Scout Volunteers Dismantle Their Own Heritage"
Can build a museum in the new building on the balcony to display the history and artifacts from the original Finch Lodge Should not be compared with standing in the hall of 1923 Finch Lodge surrounded by the gothic inspired balcony (and possibly also looking up into massive wooden truss roof supports).