A D D I S O
N C O U N T Y
I N D E P E N D E N T
Middlebury, Vermont · August 12, 2004 · 28 pages
STARKSBORO
Common Ground Center takes shape
Volunteers help build Starksboro project
By JOHN FLOWERS
STARKSBORO—Take a stroll down Tatro Road in Starksboro these days, and you're likely to hear more than the usual chirping of birds, the hum of a lawn mower or the crackle of gravel under the tires of a random passing vehicle.
The air is currently filled with the thudding of productive hammers, the twang of sharp saws and, if you listen carefully, the cheerful chatter of young voices, some of them uttering foreign languages. It's the sound of the ongoing birth of the Common Ground Center, which, when complete, will feature a network of 22 small cabins, a lodge, a dining hall and other facilities that will cater to a series of summer family camps here in the Hogback Mountains. The property will provide a permanent home for Camp Common Ground , which since 1994 has operated in a rented space in South Hero.
Common Ground Co-Directors Peg Kamens and James Mendell are spearheading the estimated $5.4 million effort to establish the center, which has been more than six years in the making. It was in June 1998 that leaders of Camp Common Ground acquired the 228 acre Kingsland farm in Starksboro and an additional 474 acres of adjacent land from the Hansen family in Monkton.
The center won local zoning board approval and Act 250 consent around two years ago, thereby paving the way for what will be a phased construction of the Common Ground Center buildings and amenities.
The first phase of construction is going on right now, under a four week program, titled Cabin Fever Building Camps. Center organizers hope that volunteer workers, under the direction of skilled carpenters, will be able to complete 10 cabins by the end of this summer.
On Monday, 14 people from seven different countries were busy unloading timber and nailing together roof trusses for the one-and two bedroom cabins that will be sprinkled on land near the old Kingsland farmhouse. The young workers come courtesy of Volunteers for Peace (VFP), a Vermont-based non-profit organization that offers youths from throughout the world an opportunity to work in “International Work camps.” While there, they learn about foreign cultures and different languages, while working for a worthy, nonprofit cause.
Ji-Sun Lee from Seoul , South Korea was part of the VFP contingent working this week on the Common Ground Center . “Everybody is very sweet and kind,” said Lee, 21, who is taking a break from her studies at Duksung Women's University. “We all want to work together.”
This was the first carpentry test for Emanuele Patti, a car engineer and native of Genoa , Italy . “I like this,” he said, flashing a broad smile. “This is two weeks of work, but it's like a holiday.” Patti learned of the project after checking out the Camp Common Ground Web site. “I like to work with other people to realize a project,” he said. “We are a great team.”
Supervising the group is Megan Brook, a VFP board member. “It's been an amazing group in the way we've been working together,” Brook said. “The spot is just magical.” Members of the group have learned a lot about carpentry, and a lot about each other. “To more than half of this group, at least some of these tools are new to touch,” Brook said. “But nobody has said “I can't do that.” People aren't afraid to try.”
The sturdy planks of timber the workers are handling are being harvested from hemlock and pine stands that are abundant on the property.
Each cabin will feature snug, no-frills living. Some of the smaller models are 8-feet-by-10 feet, Kamens noted. There will be no electricity or plumbing in the cabins; campers will have access to separate toilet and shower facilities.
Center organizers are engaged in a major fund-raising campaign to come up with the estimated $5.4 million in project costs. Kamens said bank loans and donations will figure into the financing equation.
If all proceeds according to plan, the Common Ground Center will have enough infrastructure in place next year to accommodate around 80 campers. As new buildings are added, the grounds will
ultimately be able to serve 160 campers, according to Kamens.
Mendell says he hopes the center will build a close relationship with the town of Starskboro . “We hope to work with the people of Starksboro and the surrounding communities, and have their families come to our camp,” Mendell said.
Independent Photo/Trent Campbell
Peg Kamens & Jim Mendell are co-directors
and founders of Camp Common Ground, a
family camp that will soon have permanent
quarters in Starksboro.
Independent Photo/Trent Campbell
A group of foreign students who are part of Volunteers for Peace, help with cabin construction at
Camp Common Ground in Starksboro.