The Future of Camp Tuolumne

A historic evening to celebrate the rebirth of Camp Tuolumne was held at The Berkeley Repertory Theater on May 13th, as the Friends hosted “The Future of Camp Tuolumne!”

Mayor Jesse Arreguin, the City Council, City Staff, Capital Improvement Program Manager Liza McNulty, and the design team of Siegel and Strain were there to support the rebuilding of Camp Tuolumne and show campers the new design of Camp. For the first time, we saw what we’ll be returning to in the summer of 2022… it was magnificent!

Their words of support and the design of Camp were greeted with enthusiastic applause, and oohs and ahhs from the camper audience! The “Tuolumne Spirit” was as strong as ever, with a full house of campers all committing to help rebuild camp with whatever is needed to get Camp back the way we want it. The City showed what insurance and FEMA will pay for and what they will not cover. Their presentation can be found here.

The FOBTC Board showed the gap that will be missing once Camp returns – the loss of almost 6,000 trees! The biggest difference will be in main camp, and will make that area very exposed to the sun to be in. Insurance and FEMA will help re-seed the area, but we’ll need taller, more mature trees, and engineered shade structures to bring back a comfortable shaded main camp, and the green of the forest!

This is where the Friends believe we can make the biggest difference – and how we can help the future of Camp to be successful.  We want to return to a forest and to a comfortable Camp. We are raising funds to help this piece that will not be funded by insurance.

Our Rebuilding CAMPaign goal is to raise $1 million dollars by October 31, 2019. As of today, we have raised $449,000! So, we’re off to a great start!

Updates in Other Cities

On Saturday, May 18^th, we took the show on the road to our Southern California campers in Los Angeles. Longtime campers Glenn Berkovitz and Jane Paul hosted a fabulous house party and over 30 campers showed that the love for Camp stretches way beyond the Bay Area!

In July, we’re hoping to go to San Diego and Portland! Please let us know if you live in those areas and could come to a local update!

Help Rebuild Camp Tuolumne!

What YOU can do to help:

*Discuss a contribution to the Rebuilding CAMPaign with Scott or Marcie

*Meet us for tea/coffee/beer to stay engaged and updated

*Host a gathering with your camper family and friends

*Volunteer with FOBTC

*Attend events this summer: Annual Campfire (Aug 25^th), Friends Weekend (Aug 30^th), Fall Gala (Sept 19^th)

 

Please contact us with questions or for more information about the rebuilding of Camp Tuolumne. Together, we can rebuild the Camp we love.

There’s no place… 

 

The 4th Annual Tree Replanting Party was a HUGE Success!

Over 125 people came out to plant over 1,000 trees in a day!

The Tuolumne Spirit was strong – families, friends,

Berkeley Rotarians and former staff had a great time bringing back the forest!

25 UC Cal students from the Epsilon ETA Environmental Service Fraternity joined us

this year thanks to the UC Chancellor’s Community Partnership Grant!

They had an amazing weekend of free lodging, food and transportation

and we cannot wait to partner with UC Berkeley again next year!

In the summer of 2019, FOBTC is looking to completely fund 16 under served youth for youth camp, and 12 CIT’s to experience working at Camp.

A major goal of FOBTC is to support Berkeley kids who could not afford it to get out of the city and be at Camp during the summer. FOBTC received a $20,000 grant from The UC Chancellor’s Office to bring under served Berkeley youth and teens to experience camp next summer!

The grant was written with the partnership of UC-Berkeley California Outdoor Engagement Coalition, with the goals of bringing more outdoor engagement experiences to Berkeley youth and teens. We will be reaching out to kids in those areas of Berkeley who cannot afford coming to Youth Camp, and teens in the CIT program from diverse neighborhoods to experience being at Camp!

The 2nd annual Staff Reunion took place on November 23, the Friday after Thanksgiving, with over 50 current and nostalgic former Staff members ranging all the way back to the 50’s gathering at Cornerstone Brewery in Downtown Berkeley!

FOBTC bought the first round, gathered around the fire pit, and gave staff an update and a chance to ask questions on the rebuild process. It was so sweet to see everyone, and so inspiring to see how many former staff are staying so connected to Camp!

Hi dear Friends – This Thursday Nov 15th, the City staff will be giving this report to the City Council and Mayor as an update on the rebuilding of camp. We are posting it so you can get it fresh off the press, and stay on top of the process!

This is from Scott Ferris, Director of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront:

In August of 2013, the California Rim Fire destroyed Berkeley Tuolumne Family Camp (BTC). The fire was declared a federal disaster, which means the Camp rebuilding qualifies for funding from the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) and the California Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES). While FEMA and CAL OES will contribute a portion of the funding, it is anticipated that the City’s insurance policy will cover a more significant portion of the rebuild costs. The estimate for the total project is approximately $60M, which includes the necessary staff, design, permitting, and construction costs. On April 4, 2017, the City Council funded the estimated City cost share of $3.3 M (which includes the City’s required FEMA grant matching funds).

 

In early 2017, the City completed the conceptual plan of the BTC Rebuild. This three-year process included approvals from state and federal agencies as well as input from the Berkeley community. On October 17, 2017, the City Council approved a $4.3 M design contract with the architecture firm of Siegel & Strain. Siegel & Strain’s first task was the development of an ‘As- Was plus Code’ design and cost estimate for the Camp (which shows the Camp as it existed before the Fire, plus current building code required upgrades). The subsequent ‘Basis of Design’ report establishes the City’s proposed reconstruction project, which applies both value engineering and programmatic updates to the As-Was plus Code scope of work. These two documents serve as significant milestones for ongoing insurance negotiations, as well as for the FEMA / CAL OES funding process. Monthly meetings with Insurance, FEMA, and CAL OES representatives to determine coverage and funding are ongoing. It is anticipated that construction will begin in 2020 and be completed in 2022.

 

In compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the City published a Notice of Intent to Adopt an Initial Study / Mitigate Negative Declaration for the BTC Project in October, 2018. Simultaneously, the City coordinated the publication of the Environmental Assessment (EA) in compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) on behalf of the United States Forest Service (USFS). The public review periods for both CEQA and NEPA documents has now closed, and the City is in the process of responding to comments and finalizing these documents. It is anticipated that Council will consider adoption of the Final Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration at the January 22, 2019 Council meeting.