Groundbreaking held for Jane Clifton Ashford Center
Friends, donors, local elected officials and camp counselors gathered Aug. 15 for Camp Arrowhead’s Ring the Bell groundbreaking ceremony.
The event was to celebrate the soon-to-be-under-construction Jane Clifton Ashford Center, a new dining hall and retreat facility that will replace the camp’s 60-year-old dining hall. The $5.5 million dining hall will nearly double the size of the facility – from 5,800 square feet to 10,000 – and include a new kitchen, rainwater collection tank, kitchen garden, outdoor classroom, reception area, gathering and dining terrace, welcome plaza and butterfly garden. The center will have a fireplace with three separate dining areas.
The capital campaign, Ring the Bell, is named after longtime cook Delma Batson. There’s an existing bell tower with her name onsite, which will be moved to the building’s new terrace.
Demolition of the old building started Aug. 16. Construction is expected to be completed by the first week of June 2022, just in time for summer camp.