Camp Katherine Parsons + Phyllis Wheatley Community Center

Restoring a day camp on Oak Lake, in Watertown County, MN with the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center.

Overview:

Camp Katherine Parsons is a ~100 acre plot of established and emerging forest and wetland on Oak Lake in Watertown County. This piece of land was donated to the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center (PWCC) and operated as a camp from the mid 20th century until the mid 1990's when it was taken offline. There are five existing buildings on site: two bunk houses (500sf each), a main lodge (3000sf), a utility building (100sf) and a nature learning center with a boathouse beneath (1500sf) totaling ~5600sf of interior space. An extensive planning process was carried out by local architects, landscape architects, and construction professionals in coordination with the Soil and Water Conservation Board during the summer of 2021. During this planning process, 30 years of accumulated furnishings and trash were cleaned out and the underlying structures in all buildings were determined to be sound and candidates for restoration and enhancement.

The proposed funds would be used to both rehabilitate and enhance the existing ~5600sf of interior space mentioned above and add a small amount of new program space. Utilizing the skills of professional architecture, landscape architecture, and construction professionals already committed to the project, the buildings would be rehabilitated to exceed current energy standards and indoor air quality requirements and would serve the core functions of an overnight camp. An additional building of approximately 1500sf would be designed/constructed with professional partners to house accessible toilet/shower facilities, additional storage space, and support space for the camp. A portion of the funds would also be used to bring the existing electrical, septic, and well/water utilities back online and supplement with renewable energy infrastructure.