Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Caroline Martindale, Chronicle Staff Writer
Camp Little Notch in West Fort Ann says it is making headway toward its $300,000 fundraising goal to meet an April mortgage deadline — and that local businesses are helping in other ways too.
The former Girl Scout summer camp, established in 1939, was purchased 15 years ago and privatized by the Friends of Camp Little Notch.
“It was a group of former campers who got together, shook the trees, came up with money and had to figure out how to run a business,” Jeff Speich, current president of Camp Little Notch, told The Chronicle.
“It’s certainly had its challenges, the mortgage being the biggest.”
When an all-new Board of Directors took over last March, it faced an imminent balloon payment due.
“They had a monthly payment which was a tolerable number,” said Mr. Speich, a Queensbury resident, “but come April of 2025, you have to pay off the mortgage, the remaining balance.
“So that became the biggest thing in front of me. Can we refinance? Can we afford to refinance? Do we fundraise to try and knock it down?
“And the group of people on the Board said, ‘Let’s fund-raise, because we all have the feeling that this membership will help knock this thing [loan balance] down and maybe get zeroed out’.”
He said they’ve raised $124,000 so far, and he’s confident they’ll achieve $200,000-$250,000 out of the $300,000 owed before the deadline.
“To go in and refinance a $50,000 mortgage is going to be unbelievable,” Mr. Speich said. “It’s amazing. Then this organization will be so close to owning this property and not having to put those dollars on the mortgage, instead putting them into the property and improving the programs so we can do more for the girls camp weeks and for the public. We’ll have more to offer and better facilities.”
Beyond the money raised, Mr. Speich said community members have donated services too. One person he credits in particular is Ken Brownell of Brownell Electric Corp. in Fort Edward.
“He gave us a really generous offer” on pricing for a 25 kilowatt backup generator, Mr. Speich said, but it was still too much for the camp to afford.
“It was at a time when I could not go back [to the Board] and say, ‘Hey I need more money,’ because we are trying to pay off the mortgage. So, we didn’t accept his offer. Then a few weeks later he came back and said, ‘We’re going to do it anyway. We’re going to donate the generator and do all the work required,’ which is a huge gift. That’s probably going to be in the neighborhood of a $20,000-$25,000 gift.”
Mr. Speich says Mr. Brownell “knew the struggles we had been going through with affordable generators. It’s just amazing. He has been very kind to us over the past few years with other things he’s done, but this is a biggie.”
Mr. Brownell also upgraded the entire camp’s electrical at a significant discount.
“He’s a gentleman — a very kind man. He’s gone out of his way to be very helpful to Camp Little Notch and it doesn’t cease. Every time there’s a question or two, he’s right there to help out and offer services. I don’t know how to say thank you too many ways, but it’s amazing to have someone who’s been this kind.”
“That’s part of the relationship building that I’ve been very keen on doing,” Mr. Speich says. “This camp has been here [86] years, and it has had a quiet, impactful existence on all of its visitors.”
It provides girls and young women with a space for outdoor recreation, personal growth and adventure.
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