New $1.9 Million Dining Hall Coming For Scout Camp

"Oh, I'm a hayseed, my hair is seaweed, and my ears are made of leather and they flop in rainy weather."

Go to any Boy Scout camp across the country and odds are, sounds of kids singing camp songs at the top of their lungs during meals are echoing from the dining halls as they make lifetime memories.

And now, the Schiff Scout Reservation in Wading River will have a brand-new, $1.9 million dining hall, to replace the last building, which was lost to fire in 2011.

The Boy Scouts of America Theodore Roosevelt Council and BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers broke ground for the new Hickox Dining Hall at the Schiff Scout Reservation recently, with more than 1,000 scouts, parents, council leaders, volunteers, and community members participating in the ceremony. 

“Once completed, this beautiful, year-round facility will serve our campers for decades to come. I look forward to opening the new hall next year,” Boy Scouts of America Theodore Roosevelt Council Scout Executive and CEO Jay Garee, said.

“The design of the new, $1.9-million, 7,100-sq.-ft. dining hall reflects the traditional architecture of a scouting camp. It will, however, feature very modern kitchen facilities, an improved layout, and additional activities for children, such as a climbing wall," BBS president and principal architect, Roger P. Smith added.

The new, one-story dining facility will match the footprint dimensions of the destroyed dining hall. However, designers rotated the orientation of the new building to allow the main entrance to face the centrally located parade grounds.

Structural steel elements of the building and porch will be encased in pine wood panels to fit in with the camp's traditional look, said BBS project manager Lawrence M. Feeley, Jr.

The tapered, rubble stone chimney of the fireplace will serve as the visual central focal point of the building’s exterior; the 10-foot-wide, three-and-a half-foot high fireplace pit will be open to both the interior and the exterior, so Scouts can engage in storytelling, singing, and other activities.

Inside will be a 3500 square foot dining room and an 1800 square foot commercial kitchen. The building will also have handicapped bathrooms and a storage room.

The dining room is sure to be a crowd pleaser for Scouts, with an 18-foot-high, 15-foot wide paneled climbing wall.
 
Unlike the destroyed hall, the new building will feature an HVAC system that will allow a year-round occupation. In addition to the food service function, the new structure will be utilized for educational and entertainment programs and adult leader training.  

The facility wil also be rented, along with the camp’s other facilities, for family and social events, such as weddings, large banquets, school visits, and civic and church group gatherings.