Camp Waskowitz recently received a major makeover by 325 members of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. NAIOP volunteers undertook several much-needed improvement projects on the 372-acre facility. Highline captured the makeover on video:

Camp Waskowitz Gets a Makeover from Highline Public Schools on Vimeo.

“I truly feel as if Waskowitz has won the lottery,â€ said Camp Waskowitz Director Roberta McFarland. â€œThanks to the partnership and support by the NAIOP, future students will have a better facility to enjoy for years to come.â€ NAIOP brought together the expertise of the real estate, construction, engineering, and design communities to complete 20 major projects including:

Re-staining the cabins, council hall, and lookout tower
Relocating a large deck to the other side of the council hall
Refurbishing benches and picnic tables by the riverside amphitheater
Repairing trails and installing trail gates
Installing an ADA ramp to the nurse and staff building
Constructing a 150-square-foot greenhouse to grow tree seedlings
Removing extensive, non-native, invasive plants
Placing 200 tons of crushed rock on walkways and parking lots

Nearly 350,000 students have participated in Camp Waskowitzâ€™s week-long, outdoor environmental education experience since its inception 67 years ago. While Highline Public Schools owns and operates Camp Waskowitz, many other schools and groups across the state use the facility each year. Built in 1935 as a temporary facility for the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC), the original buildings are still used today. It is a state and national historic preservation site and one of only two CCC camps in the U.S. with all of the original buildings still standing. Camp Waskowtiz includes four large dorms and cabins, a dining hall, barn, council hall, education center, administration buildings, and other structures. In addition to the buildings, there are miles of trails on either side of the Snoqualmie River.]]>