New Springfield College Partnership with Berkshire Outdoor Center ...

Thirty years ago, Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA didn’t have to worry
about dams and septic tanks being compliant or up to code according to
state, federal and environmental regulations. Today, the list of regional
regulators the Camps and Berkshire Outdoor Center are accountable to
is growing, including the DEP, ADA, ACA, Conservation Commission,
Dam Safety, and historic preservation, just to name a few.
“I think we do a good job keeping ahead of regulations and building
positive relationships with these agencies. We treat them like a partner
in helping to best serve our mission,” says COO Jim Brown, who credits
the Facilities Department of the YMCA for being on top of managing
the 140 buildings and 1,400 acres of property, and taking on the 24/7
operation of the waste water treatment plant.
Located on four acres abutting Camp Becket, the waste water treatment
plant was built in 2006 to replace the aging and inefficient septic tanks
adjacent to every wash house at each of the camps.
2
“When you take
care of a 109-year-old
facility, buildings and
equipment get old. And
that included the tanks,
which had become faulty.
We needed to update
the process to current
standards,” explains
Steve Turner, Director of
Facilities, who leads a
team of eight full-time
and five seasonal staff
BCCYMCA News Issue 09 July 2012
Waste Water Treatment Plant an Example
of Good Stewardship
Message from the CEO
(cont’d from cover)
look at our facilities department, and
how a small team of eight staff members
ensures we have a safe physical plant
and meet all of the mandated regulatory
issues, including successfully operating
a multi-million dollar waste water
treatment plant.
Just as Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA
adjusts and adapts to mandates, so do
our travel partners, including the Sioux
YMCA in South Dakota, which serves
the poorest region of the country. You’ll
meet Sioux YMCA’s executive director
and learn how our REACH campers
help meet their mission every summer.
Also, I am particularly excited about
two new partnerships, one between
our Berkshire Outdoor Center and
Springfield College that will embark on
a new youth development program this
fall and Camp Becket’s Service Corps
service outreach with Project Native.
Even with the many operational
challenges we handle, our focus is
always on changing lives for good
through our exceptional programs.
Amici & Agape,
Phil Connor
A glass of clean water, the results of the
Waste Water Treatment Plant.
The Facilities Department stands beside the sand pit section of the Waste Water Treatment
Plant. Steve Turner, first row far right is joined by his Facilities Team:
Back Row: Dave Wright, Don Chaffee, Jim Atwell, Larry Pease, Gary Clark;
Front Row: Paul Casino, Diane Wright, and Steve Turner
who are busy year-round finishing construction cabins, landscaping,
cleaning lodges following every Berkshire Outdoor Center group visit,
maintaining 13 aging vehicles, and snow plowing miles of roads that can
take up to two days to clear.
Six years and $4,000,000 later Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA boasts
two miles of underground piping directing waste to a settling tank,
followed by four filtering tanks that chemically treat the waste and then
aerate it before recycling the now transformed, nearly drinkable water
into six pits with six feet of sand.
Run by full-time licensed operator, Don Chaffee, the recycled water is
tested every 24 hours to ensure there is no ammonia, nitrates and BOD
(biochemical oxygen demand) prior to being sent to the sand pits.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts makes random site visits to
ensure quality maintenance of the plant and Don is required
to document his testing to the Commonwealth daily.
“On a Moms’ and Dads’ Weekend we can have 29,000
gallons of water processed through the plant,” explains
Don. “The plant is licensed for 40,000 gallons a day, so
we are more than equipped to handle the 2,000 campers,
visitors and parents who come each summer.”
Being good stewards of a facility the size of a small
town requires money, and the $1.5 million Facilities
budget, including salaries and benefits, is covering loan
payments for the waste water treatment plant, rising
utility costs, and property and liability insurance.
“ We are busy,” says Steve, “but we
are keeping pace of all that needs
to get done.”