Camp Dudley looks to rebuild shoreline

WESTPORT-In Matt Storey's own words, "Everything was quiet." "We were ahead of the game," said Storey, director of Camp Dudley YMCA in Westport. "We have a big enrollment and a big waiting list, everything was lined up and planned for." Then, Mother Nature made some noise. During the height of the rain and runoff that lifted Lake Champlain to record levels in late April and early May, several landslides wreaked havoc on the Dudley campus, leaving three resident cabins unusable. "There were two or three days of heavy rain, the ground was saturated and the south winds left the water beating on the shores hard," Storey said. Now, the camp is working to create temporary housing for the campers. "We have to build three temporary cabins," Storey said. "We are building the decks and the hardwood floors, and then we will create a canvas and wood structure." Work has also begun on repairing the shoreline of Camp Dudley, with the help of Sheehan and Son's Excavating and J-Mar Construction Company. "This has to be the biggest thing we have done," Trevor Sheehan, of Sheehan and Sons, said. "It really is an interesting project." "They have been great to work with," Storey said about the partnership with Sheehan's and J-Mar. "This is a two-phase project, and the first phase is being done before camp starts, which is the shoreline stabilization where there has not been a slide." So far, the two companies have placed over 600 tons of boulders and set them over about 500 feet of the lakeshore. "The water is still high out here, and we have had a few weather delays," Jim Morse of J-Mar said. "The guys have been working hard when we can get out here to get everything done." The work crews are finishing their third week of work on the project. Storey said that the second phase of the project will not take place until after the camping season is over. "We will look to rebuild the area near the cabins in a terraced approach," Storey said. "That will be done post-campers." Storey pointed to the work that was done at the boathouse as an example of who they will look to fix the current landslide, work that was also done by Sheehan's. With parts of the camp still flooded, including flood point and the boathouse launch area, Storey said that they will be flexible during the camp season. "We will have temporary places where we will be able to swim, boat and sleep," he said. Storey said that, thanks to preparation, Camp Dudley is ready for the season.

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Camp Dudley looks to rebuild shoreline

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