Rooms idle as costs mount

Each day the sight of Berwick Lodge's pristine new block of rooms both excites and frustrates camp warden Jenny Scott.

When construction on the block was finished, 19 months after the original building was destroyed by a landslip, she was told by engineers the new rooms could not be used until further earthwork, costing up to $50,000, was completed.

That was in December last year and Mrs Scott is still squeezing school groups into old rooms, while the new block's five dormitories, ablution rooms, sauna and staff workshop remain empty.

She said she had been told by an engineer the slope behind the lodge, which slipped in May 2010, was stable and the lodge could be used.

Mrs Scott assumed the "beautiful, glorious" new block, directly below the slip site, would also be safe for occupation once built.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, as she found out a few days before Christmas.

Camp volunteers now have to raise up to $50,000 for earth stabilisation and drainage work before the 28 new beds can be occupied.

Adding to the camp's financial woes is the new block's sprinkler alarm system was found to be incompatible with the system throughout the rest of the lodge.

It will cost about $54,000 to upgrade the old system to match the new one. The camp's water tanks are also in need of repair.

Overall, the camp needs about $140,000, of which it has managed to raise $56,000.

Running a school camp was not a profitable business, as money generated through fees went straight into operations, Mrs Scott said.

She and others at the camp raised $20,000 to cover a $500,000 insurance claim excess when the landslip struck nearly two years ago. The 1983-built lodge was closed for six weeks after the slip, but bookings have been steady since.

Mrs Scott said the Lions Club of Green Island had started fundraising for the lodge and she was grateful to all who had donated money.

About $15,000 in grants had also been pledged towards the sprinkler system upgrade, provided funds for remaining costs could be raised.

"It all adds up," she said.

But earth-strengthening work was not eligible for grants, so the lodge had to fund at least up to $50,000 and find enough money to secure other support.

"If we had a dollar for every person who had been through the camp we would be fine," Mrs Scott said.

About 2500 school pupils and members of various groups use the camp each year.

Some people within large groups had to sleep in tents pitched on the lawn because the new rooms were off limits.

Although not so bad in summer, tenting was not a desirable option the rest of the year, Mrs Scott said.

rosie.manins@odt.co.nz