Construction is nearly complete on a new bunkhouse at Barton Community College’s Camp Aldrich but the project has hit a snag with the Kansas Fire Marshall, BCC Vice President of Administration Mark Dean said.
“They’re saying Camp Aldrich as a whole needs additional water storage to fight other fires,” he told college trustees this week. “More than likely, we’re going to have to put more water storage out there. We are working on that right now, trying to get it solved.”
Dean said he’s been working with the Claflin Fire District #1 Fire Department but this issue is with national fire codes. The State Fire Marshal did approve the building’s sprinkler system.
Construction has come in $12,000 to $14,000 under budget but that won’t be enough to cover the addition of an underground storage tank, he said. He planned to check with local contractors who make fiberglass tanks.
The Trails End Cabin was destroyed in August of 2018 by a fire determined to be electrical in nature. College officials decided to replace it with a bunkhouse that could quadruple the capacity of the original – accommodating up to 192 beds. Some of the older, smaller cabins on the grounds will be torn down.
Dean said the subcontractors are supposed to be done working on the facility by Friday. It still needs the exterior lighting and some emergency lighting for the interior. Shipping on lighting was delayed but it is expected to arrive by June 26.
With the bunkhouse closed, some events had already been canceled. Others were dropped in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on gatherings. Two more summer camps on Monday canceled events in July and August, so now all events at Camp Aldrich have been canceled through the end of August, Dean said.
The Camp Aldrich Dining Hall burned down in 2014, also because of suspected electrical problems. A new Dining Hall and the building under construction are built of noncombustible materials, Dean said.
Even so, the college added underground water storage to meet fire codes when the Dining Hall was rebuilt. They expected to use the same source to protect the new building, but Dean said he learned that won’t be enough to comply with the national fire code. Based on the square footage of the facilities, their usage and their proximity to other buildings, an additional 25,000 gallons of water storage will be needed.
A pond won’t work because it will freeze in the winter, Dean said. The swimming pool also won’t work because it is not kept full year-round. The camp’s two water wells can’t handle the capacity required.
