The Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base on Moose Lake near Ely, MN is set to begin construction on a new 12,880-square-foot headquarters to be called the Sandy Bridges Base Center.
A press release by Kraus Anderson Construction, HERE, announced the project.
The company has been selected to build Sandy Bridges Base Center, a 12,880-square-foot building which will serve as the staging area and orientation venue for Boy Scout campers setting out into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park as part of the scouts’ Northern Tier High Adventure Program.
At the Northern Tier base, scouts receive instruction in canoeing, cooking, low-impact camping, fishing, and wilderness safety skills. Highly trained staff will also be teaching cold-weather camping skills such as dog sledding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, clothing and sleeping systems, snow shelter building, animal tracking, cold weather cooking, and ice fishing.
The new Base Center is named after the late Clyde “Sandy” Bridges who served for 30 years with the National Council, Boy Scouts of America, as the director of the Northern Tier High Adventure Program. The two-story facility, which will begin construction next week, includes a commercial kitchen, mess-hall, three conference rooms, assembly space, restrooms, and a small retail outlet.
The project is expected to be completed by April 2011.