Vandals Caught in the Act
Submitted by Dr. D. Michael Hart
The “Pool House Gang” were caught red handed vandalizing a building at Boy Scout Camp Wheeler, in Byram Township, NJ. They are seen here in a “line up” against the wall.
They claim that they were doing repairs and renovations to an old decrepit building at the Boy Scout Camp. But they were seen removing valuable lumber, sinks, toilets, shower heads, and construction materials from the building.
Just kidding. This is a group of dedicated volunteers, including many retired professionals, who volunteer every week all year round at the Boy Scout camps for Patriot’s Path Council in northern New Jersey. These guys pictured have come up every Wednesday and Thursday for several months to renovate the Pool House and other buildings. This group includes retired engineers, an electrician, computer experts, small business owners, and corporate executives.
The Pool House building was built in 1971.The roof was still good, but the wooden walls were completely rotted, and the roof was sagging perilously. They needed to prop up the roof and replace the boards one by one. Eventually the building will have two bathrooms, two common showers and 8 individual changing rooms on each of two sides. There is a full sized swimming pool behind the building, so all of the chlorination, pumping mechanisms and electrical service are also located inside the building.
The “Flintlocks BSA, Inc.” a 501c3 corporation, is a group of retired scouters who volunteer at the camps every week, all year round, to help the council. They do most of the repairs and maintenance for the three Council camps, but also build new structures, such as cabins, waterfront structures, picnic tables and tent platforms. In 2018 they secured funding and built the STEM Lab at Allamuchy. Second, they make the craft kits for birdhouses, bird feeders, stools, handy boxes, racing sailboats, etc., which are sold through the Scout Shops. Third, Flintlocks volunteer to help run the many Council programs. Three quarters of the Flintlocks have received the Silver Beaver Award, the highest National award a volunteer may receive. The Facebook Page is “Flintlocks” For more information please contact Secretary Dr. Michael Hartdrmhart@yahoo.com .
