Volunteers sought for new boathouse

Published 10:05 am Tuesday, May 18, 2010

With the initial parts of construction under way for the new Brookside Boathouse and Experiential Learning Center, organizers of the project are looking for volunteers to help with the next phases of construction.

Albert Lea Community Education Director Chris Chalmers said this week contractors will pour the flat concrete pad for the building. Next Monday, starting at 8 a.m., volunteers will be needed to move timbers from the old Buy-N-Save grocery store on South Broadway Avenue to the Brookside site, adjacent to the boat landing on West Richway Drive.

After all the timbers — from northern Minnesota’s Gunflint Trail — are on site, the pre-fitting and construction of the timber frame will take place, he said.

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Once finished, the boathouse, a project of Albert Lea Area Schools’ Community Education, will house canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for the Experiential/Environmental Learning Program. It is also a hope of the organizers that it will serve as a trailhead for the shared user path around Lake and be home to a variety of environmental programs.

Chalmers said because of the weight of some of the timbers, people will obviously need to work together to transport them. If people are not capable of volunteering — but have a truck or trailer they could donate for the cause — that would be appreciated as well.

“It’s just a great project for our community, and I’m looking forward to putting it together,” he said.

The timbers are rated to last for 300 years.

If people cannot volunteer on Monday, they can come another day of the week, as volunteers will be needed until the project is completed.

People interested in volunteering any day can contact the main Community Education line at 379-4834 to sign up so a list of volunteers can be tabulated.

Chalmers said another round of volunteers will be needed for other parts of the project, including roofing of the building and landscaping.

“Our goal is to not just build a boathouse, but to build community, one experience at a time,” Chalmers wrote in a recent letter to Albert Lea community supporters.

People who cannot donate their time could instead donate money, materials or equipment.

The $300,000 project is within $10,000 of becoming a reality, he wrote. For every $100 donated to the project, a kayak/canoe experience will be provided for five people.