A student committee is in the process of drafting renovation proposals for the Ledyard Canoe Club that aim to physically separate the residential, rental and instructional programs within the facility, according to Brian Kunz, deputy director of the Outdoor Programs Office. The renovations which will include increased residential living space, handicap accessibility and a new boathouse will be entirely student-organized and are funded by donations from the Class of 1957 and College alumni who were active in Ledyard, Kunz said.
Preliminary renovation plans for Ledyard should be completed by this fall and the initial phase of construction will begin by next spring or summer, Kunz said.
Since Ledyard's current facilities were built in the 1930s, it "makes sense" that the facility needs to be updated, according to Ledyard president Max Van Pelt '11.
Donations from the Class of 1957 will fund the construction of a new, larger boathouse for whitewater canoes and kayaks. The new boathouse located closer to the parking lot will increase convenience since most whitewater boats must be loaded onto trailers and transported to locations other than the Connecticut River, Van Pelt said.
The renovated clubhouse will be handicap-accessible and may include increased living space, an additional classroom and new meeting spaces, Kunz said. Currently, three students live at Ledyard, though the club hopes to house six members after renovations are complete. Ledyard's endowment will provide approximately $500,000 to fund these renovations. The endowment is independent of the College's finances and consists of donations from Ledyard alumni, according to Kunz.
Van Pelt said that all Ledyard members, as well as the general student body, will benefit from the improvements.
"Right now the way it's set up everyone sort of steps on each other's toes," Van Pelt said. "Things kind of get messy because we're working with an old structure that's designed for what we used to do 50 years ago."
Since the College administration announced that it would sponsor free kayak and canoe rentals for all students, the Ledyard facilities have been utilized more heavily this summer than in the past, Peter Webster '71, a Ledyard alumnus and advisor, said.
"It's bursting at the seams," Webster said. "They need to separate the business from the residential."
Improvements to the Ledyard facility were originally slated for 2002, but were put on hold due to competing fundraising efforts by the College, according to Kunz.
Webster suggested that students reinstate renovation efforts in order to honor the contributions of former Ledyard member and active alumnus Jay Evans '49, Kunz said. Evans coached the 1972 U.S. whitewater slalom Olympic team, The renovations are intended to coincide with Evans' 85th birthday on July 18 of this year.
Evans, who helped mold Ledyard into "the national whitewater powerhouse" in the late 1960s and early 1970s, has also raised thousands of dollars on behalf of the club, according to Webster. About half of the 1972 whitewater slalom Olympic team under Evans were Ledyard members, Webster said.
A student oversight committee formed this past winter to revisit the plans from 2002 and to identify the primary goals of the renovation, Kunz said. The committee will also address numerous zoning restrictions since the construction is within 100 feet of the Connecticut River and will thus be under the review of the N.H. Department of Environmental Services and the Army Corps of Engineers.
The committee has received formal approval for their plans from College administrators, including Acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears and Chief Facilities Operator Linda Snyder, Kunz said.
The student committee will lead the implementation of the renovation plans and will hire an architect once the plans are completed, according to Kelly Erickson '11, a member of the student committee along with Van Pelt.
"Ultimately we're making all the decisions within our expertise, and we'll be outsourcing our hiring for areas in which we don't have expertise." Erickson said.
Although the club will likely outsource the construction, club members may help build the boathouse depending on how complicated the plans are, Kunz said.
Van Pelt said that students have been meeting each week to ensure that the renovations proceed smoothly and efficiently.
"One of the most amazing things is that Ledyard is entirely student-run," Van Pelt said. "I think these renovations are really going to help us make sure that 40 years down the road, the club is still a thriving organization."
