Beautiful but different, Camp Lamoille one year later

Sep. 28--ELKO -- Like the phoenix of Greek mythology, Camp Lamoille is rising from the ashes one year after a wildfire destroyed most of the camp.

In the past 12 months, the Elko Lions Club has witnessed an outpouring of support aimed at restoring the camp and to make it better than before through volunteers and charitable donations.

It's been a roller coaster of emotions for the club, said member and Elko County Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi. The Range 2 Fire started Sept. 30, 2018, when the community watched the blaze that consumed more than 9,000 acres in the Ruby Mountains.

"You saw this evolution ... of grief, to a little bit of shock, to 'OK, how do we go forward,'" Andreozzi remembered.

Although hearts were heavy, it was soon apparent that the community would not let Camp Lamoille go down without a fight. That was the message Chuck Stout, chairman of the camp, received from the public as word got out that the fire consumed the historic Walter Whipple Lodge.

"I personally never realized how much interest there was in camp Lamoille from the community," Stout said. "I had no idea."

But the task that lay ahead seemed daunting. Estimates by the Lions Club revealed that rebuilding efforts would come in three stages, culminating with the construction of a brand new lodge. The cost would also be about $1 million to restore Camp Lamoille.

"From the beginning we were optimistic, and we were pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of the community," Andreozzi said. "The very next day, we said, 'from the ashes, we will rebuild,' and we know we don't have the resources to do it ourselves."

Then the donations began to roll in. To date, the club has received $385,000 in cash donations, and has an outstanding insurance claim out for $25,000, paying for Phases 1 and 2, said Lions Club member Teri Gage.

Other contributions totaled approximately $50,000 that came in equipment, material and 900 hours of volunteer labor, which doesn't include time spent by Lions Club members.

Grant applications were submitted to the Lions Club International Foundation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Numerous cash donations aimed at the club came from statewide Lions clubs, locally-based corporations and businesses such as Barrick, Newmont, Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital and Riverton Motors, as well as smaller organizations such as Lamoille Presbyterian Church.

The club also launched a drawing in August to sell 100 tickets at $200 for a 1951 Savage Model 99 gun.

"We've only spent $4,000 out of our funds, so far, and we've done so much," said Gage.

Gage said the "heartwarming" contributions came from school and youth organizations that collected funds just for the camp. Cub Scout Pack 850, Elko Institute for Academic Achievement and Lamoille Crossroads 4-H were some of the donors.

"All those kids came to the club, stood up and told their stories about why Camp Lamoille is important to them," Gage recalled. "It's an amazing experience that makes them feel part of this process."

"If you look at all of Elko County, we're not even 50,000 people," Andreozzi said, "so that's a tremendous amount of dollars per capita."

Phase 1 work began on June 1 when volunteers and equipment descended on the camp to remove debris and prepare the site for Phase 2.

Contributions and volunteers from Acha Construction, Canyon Construction, Elko Sanitation, KC Gage Construction, Legarza Exploration, Pac-Van, Vega Construction, and others cleaned up the site in one day. They cleared away the charred debris, backfilled the foundation of the old lodge, and dug trenches for electrical and water infrastructure.

The club also received materials from B3 Glass, Boss Tanks, CED Electrical Supply, Codale Electrical Supply, and Western Nevada Supply.

The club is now waiting to receive bids on rehabilitation, Stout said.

The work cleared the way for Phase 2 -- the construction stage -- to begin. The site of the old lodge will be an open-air pavilion to serve as an outdoor kitchen and barbecue incorporating the surviving fireplace and chimney. Pre-fabricated cabins will be installed along with eight RV parking spaces.

Construction of the new lodge is the third and final stage of restoration. Plans for a 3,900 square-foot lodge have been designed by AM Engineering, who donated services toward the project, which Stout estimated to have taken "hundreds of hours."

"He also did a full aerial survey with his drone," Stout said.

In May, the Lions Club anticipated completion of Phases 1 and 2 by the summer of 2020 and to begin renting the camp again. However, the timing of reopening rests in the approval of permits from the U.S. Forest Service, making it "iffy" on whether the camp can open by then.

"Josh Nichols of the Forest Service said he hoped to have the approval of our plans by January," Stout said, "but again, he hopes."

Andreozzi praised federal officials for moving things along, including the local Forest Service ranger and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev, who visited the camp Aug. 26.

"They have been incredibly accessible and helpful through this process," Andreozzi explained. "They still have a process. They can't just say, 'go and do whatever you want,' but they are helping us by shepherding us through that process."

-----

If all the pieces come together the camp may be ready to rent for partial use by this time next year, Stout said, but it is still too soon to tell.

"We'll be back in partial service without a lodge," Stout said.

In addition to dealing with the fire damage, the club discovered the camp had been vandalized on Memorial Day weekend.

Vandals broke windows in two of the remaining structures and destroyed light fixtures in three A-frame cabins. The cost of repairing the damage was estimated to be $4,200, with B3 Glass donating labor and materials shipping costs to replace the windows.

"Cleanup from the vandalism was minor," Stout said. "We've heard the sheriff's department has a lead, but we haven't heard anything more."

To deter other vandals, a caretaker will be keeping an eye on the camp more frequently. Gerald Hosford volunteered his services during the June 1 cleanup and will be checking on the camp during the winter. He later joined the Lions Club.

Andreozzi called Hosford an example of seeing a need and filling it.

"He has been to every meeting and every cleanup we've done," Gage said. "That's true Lionsim, and that's what it's all about.

Planning the rebuilding has made the last 12 months fly quickly for the Lions Club.

As the club prepares to move into the second year of rebuilding efforts, Andreozzi, Gage and Stout looked back on the previous year. They reflected on how so many people pulled together to bring Camp Lamoille back to life.

The camp's legacy is multi-generational, Andreozzi said, with past, present and future generations having a part in building, maintaining and rebuilding Camp Lamoille.

Among the enduring symbols of Camp Lamoille is the stone fireplace and chimney of the old lodge. It will be structurally analyzed to be preserved as part of the camp's history in the open-air pavilion.

"I think it's very poignant the way the lodge stands to this day," Andreozzi said. "It's our hope it will be part of the past that is going to link us to the future."

Although the Range 2 Fire blackened Lamoille Canyon, it didn't take away the inherent beauty of the landscape, Gage said.

"It's still beautiful up there. It's just different."

___

(c)2019 Elko Daily Free Press, Nev.

Visit Elko Daily Free Press, Nev. at www.elkodaily.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.