Camp Fire Gets A Boost From AGC Members

News Source: The Alaska Contractor
Publish Date: January 23, 2012

“Camp Fire gets a boost from AGC members”
By Jody Ellis-Knapp

Anchorage architectural and interiors firm ECI/Hyer recently designed a new dining hall for Camp Fire USA’s Camp K on Kenai Lake. Neeser Construction is building the new hall, which is a rebuild of the original structure.

“This new facility will provide us with the opportunity to serve even more youth,” said Barbara Dubovich, CEO of Camp Fire USA Alaska Council. Camp K, formerly known as Camp Kushtaka, provides youth ages 7 to 18 with the chance to explore nature, have fun engaging in camp activities and form new friendships.

ECI/Hyer also designed new cabins for Camp K. The project, completed in 2009, involved replacing old, worn-out cabins with new cabins that can sleep as many as 64 campers.

“Our camp on Kenai Lake is a phenomenal, yet rustic site. ECI/Hyer was able to capture the spirit of the old camp in its new designs,” Dubovich said. “They designed sustainable facilities that blend in beautifully with the outdoors.” Brian Meissner, principal at ECI/Hyer, and a driving force behind the work, explained, “The cabins are really simple. … They look like they were built by hand because they were.”

These projects are only part of ECI/Hyer’s involvement with Camp Fire. “I’m not sure how it all started,” Meissner said. “But we have a relationship with Camp Fire that goes back to 2004.” Dubovich credits Steve Fishback, who was a principal at ECI/Hyer and a volunteer for Camp Fire at the time, with partnering the firm with the youth organization.

ECI/Hyer’s donated worked on the new cabins at Camp K earned national recognition in the book “The Power of Pro Bono: 40 Stories about Design for the Public Good by Architects and Their Clients.”

In thanking the many volunteers on the project, Dubovich said, “ECI/Hyer deserves national attention for their very fine work and big hearts — all of which goes miles to benefit children now and long into the future.”

Other AGC members who have donated materials and services for Camp Fire projects include PDC Inc. Engineers, Davis Constructors & Engineers, Neeser Construction, Alcan Electrical & Engineering, Partusch Plumbing & Heating, Spenard Builders Supply and Universal Roofing of Alaska. Many other local contractors and businesses have also been a part of the success of the project.

“We have all embraced the spirit of Camp Fire USA, and our pro bono work with them and other agencies has really become part of who we are,” Meissner said.