On Tuesday, July 31, Camp Timberlane was
inspected by the American Camping Association. The purpose of this
inspection was for the camp to receive accreditation from the
A.C.A.
The A.C.A. has a list of one hundred standards, of which seventy-five
percent must be met for a camp to receive its’ accredidation. Of
the standards, approximately one-fourth of them (health and safety
standards) have to be met or the camp automatically doesn’t
pass.
The standards cover such areas as emergency procedures, activity
development, and staff qualifications.
Timberlane was being inspected this summer because it has a new
owner; and from now on it will be inspected every three years. The
last time that camp was inspected was in 1975, and Timberlane
received a near-perfect score of 98 out of the 100. It was the
highest score ever given to a camp our size. The two standards camp
didn’t pass concerned appropriate labels on gasoline containers,
and having written procedures for waste disposal on canoe trips. Both
standards were immediately complied with.
As the A.C.A. visit approached this summer, it was apparent that
Timberlane would again pass with no difficulty; the only question was
how high a score would we receive? The two missed standards from
‘75 had been met, and every other one appeared to have been
met.
Finally, on the third Tuesday of second session, the A.C.A. arrived
with their white gloves ready to inspect. When it was over,
Timberlane had improved on its’ 1975 score by passing an
incredible 99 of 100 standards. This time the only standard we
didn’t pass was one concerning whether Mark Faiwell regularly
attended A.C.A. meetings. The fact is, though, that Mark had been so
busy preparing for this summer, that he could not find the time to
attend each meeting. Timberlane will be inspected again in 1982, and
our goal again will be to attain a perfect score.