There has been a lot of talk about what can or could be done to the Culver Beach Lodge to make it more usable. Some renovations are currently underway. I understand that this discussion started as part of the Park’s long range plan a few years ago and really began in earnest last year with the Stellar Communities competition. I’ve been very involved with Culver Stellar and while I haven’t been directly involved with the Beach Lodge planning, I’ve listened and contributed to some of the conversation.
It has been discussed that the function of the building for the Town and the Park is more important than the historic significance of the building. It has also been discussed that there is no defined use for the top floor yet. It has been discussed that there is a continuing need for meeting space and rental space. All this discussion got me thinking a little outside the box on how a renovation could be accomplished to meet these goals. Eliminating the interest in getting a Historic Renovation Grant and consequently worrying about preserving the facade and roof opens up new possibilities. Last Friday evening I spent a little time sketching out a possible idea.
Let me further preface this by saying I was not involved in any of the preliminary discussions with Steve Park, the Architect with whom the Town has contracted, and he may have a dozen reasons why this won’t work. I’m not a structural engineer or architect, but look at the attached sketches and descriptions. Maybe this is an idea that should be explored.
Plan View
Note: If we do not reframe the entire roof, we might need interior support for the ceiling and remaining trusses on the north side. I do not know how this was framed… If it was framed using rafters in lieu of trusses, we could potentially vault the north side as well using existing structure. The dormer valley rafters should provide support the ridge beam.
East/West Elevations
South Elevation
Building Section
Totally outside the box… Unworkable if the Town wants to go for a historic renovation grant… Totally blowing the budget… But this would make a fabulous meeting/party space.
With only one stair, there would be a capacity limit. This could be improved by sprinkling the space or adding a fire escape. I think a fire escape could be added unobtrusively on the east elevation, particularly if we used one of the counter balance styles. (I suggested this for Lucrezia’s second floor too.)
Now’s the time for brain storming on this, so if you have different or better ideas, throw them out there now. If you have ideas to improve what I’ve shown here (it’s rough!), let me know in the comments and if I like them and have time, I’ll update these drawings.
Go Stellar!
Counter Balance Stair picture borrowed from www.fireengineering.com
Article borrowed from The Pilot News, March 16, 2017
Competition underway in the PHS gym
Last month Plymouth High School hosted the Vex Robotics challenge. This is the second year that they’ve hosted the challenge. Becky and I attended again this year and again were blown away by the kids. Watching what the kids have built is impressive to start with, but add to that the strategy and teamwork involved and the the challenge shows up with lots of dimensions.
Each year the challenge is different, but some of the premise is the same. In a nutshell, there are head to head challenges using the robots, first a pre-programmed challenge followed by a battle using remote controls. The teams then have to form alliances to battle in the final competitions.
I take a personal interest in this program as I feel I played a part in it’s inception. As a member of the Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) Grants Committee, I was assigned the review of the grant application for the funds that helped get the program off the ground. I was so blown away by the two high school kids that were the impetus behind the program that I couldn’t help, but advocate for them before the committee. The video below shows one of the robots and its creators that impressed me so much. They blew away the competition.
If you get the chance to go, I recommend it. These are some of the kids that will be in charge of our future.