The first study for the project was prepared in March 2006 by the Facilities Committee, a sub-group of the Board of Directors, chartered to assist in long-range facilities planning, capital improvement project management and operations/maintenance. This study focused the full board on the issues concerning the pavilion, the possible priorities to consider and the options in addressing them in a renovation. Following the response from the study, the committee prepared three options for the project, each based on different priorities and functions. In the end the board chose the option that most evoked the original building, preserving the look and feel of the original Ampleforth while addressing specific improvements, and chartered the committee to perform a full design study. Over the next six months the committee held several day-long working sessions, along with numerous conference calls, and in March 2007 the full board approved the complete design plan and authorized the execution of the project.

The choice endorsed by the board carefully balances the camp’s needs with an effective and thoughtful expenditure of funds raised in the Legacy campaign. We realize that the generous donations of our campers and friends come with a certain responsibility in how we use these funds. A major part of the decision to go ahead with the project is the assessment that it is a cost-effective expenditure of Legacy funds.