The children who attend Camp Alexander will be safer thanks to the efforts of board members and a grant from FEMA.
A year and a half effort to build a tornado shelter on the Camp Alexander grounds is nearing completion. Rod Sobieski, adjunct board member for special projects, spearheaded the effort to build the building. Sobieski said he began exploring the idea of a tornado shelter on the grounds. A neighbor has been letting the kids use the basement of his house, but an on-site tornado shelter had been needed.
“This is really what has been missing at Camp Alexander all these years,” Sobieski said.
So Sobieski started looking for a solution. He started looking at pre-cast shelters but they only hold six to eight people. Camp Alexander can see upwards of 50 camp kids at one time during the summer and even more depending on the event. He then began pursuing a FEMA grant to build a shelter and he found a Kansas company, Protection Shelters of Viola to build the shelter. The shelter cost around $130,000. The FEMA grant pays 75 percent of that, leaving the other 25 percent to be funded by Camp Alexander. Sobieski said Camp Alexander did not have that kind of money so the Trusler Foundation stepped up and funded the camp’s 25 percent. The foundation also is funding a quarter-mile sewer line replacement project.
The building, which should be completed by November, is 600 square feet or 20x30 feet. All local subcontractors have been used, Sobieski said. It has one-foot poured concrete walls and will have an eight-inch concrete ceiling. The footings the wall is resting on are 32 inches wide and three feet deep. The building includes FEMA-approved doors as well. When the doors close steel rods come out and go into the concrete, Sobieski said. Sobieski added that the building must conform to hurricane standards as well due to the FEMA guidelines.
Several events are planned at Camp Alexander this fall. During construction, the events will not be effected, said Damon Leiss, camp director.
Once completed, the building also can be used as an auxiliary room, Sobieski said.
“It will help enhance Camp Alexander as well,” Leiss said.
It is going to cost about $30,000 for finishing touches on the building, Sobieski said. FEMA covered cost of the building, rest rooms and heating. It will not cover air conditioning, a roof to cover the concrete, tresses and interior work such as the ceiling.
To donate to for finishing of the tornado shelter, call Camp Alexander at 342-1386 or visit the Web site at http://www.campalexander.org/.
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
I wonder if that shelter would house Wilt the Stilt, you know the big dipper from KU. He actually visited their one time.....Have you ever went to FEMA CAMPS on the internet--this is kind of scary!
September 4, 2010 at 12:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )