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Camp

North Fork

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Jacksonville, Florida

The Girl Scouts of Gateway Council embarked on a bold plan to build a new camp. Presented with an opportunity to acquire a wonderful site approximately 45 minutes from downtown Jacksonville, Florida, the Council has commenced construction of Phase I of a long range development plan for 248 acres. Leading to this milestone event were years of planning that involved girls and their families, adult volunteers, community members, staff and the Board of Directors. The site is very unique for north Florida, as it has open fields, remnants of dense pine forests formerly cultivated for wood pulp, hardwood forest stands, and rolling terrain that borders Black Creek, a feeder for the James River.

Phase One Development includes two of the four self-contained and distinct Camping Villages – Fishing Village and Arts Village; the Health and Aquatics Center, site infrastructure (water, power, communications, sanitary treatment, roads, paths), fire circles, amphitheater, ranger’s residence, and Maintenance Center. Construction is expected to be complete by summer 2010.

A very significant design requirement that emerged as a result of the project worksessions, was the importance of practicing good environmental stewardship. For this project the following sustainable practices and green design strategies are employed.

• Site considerations include preservation of pristine green space along the Black, minimize building footprints, minimize tree clearing to pines and scrub growth, save hardwood trees and 100+ year old live oaks, enhance and expand wetlands, manage all storm water on site, and use manufacturing by-products for sub-base material in roads and trails.

• Building designs integrated: high recycled content materials, highly recyclable materials, efficient lighting, daylight harvesting, water saving fixtures, low VOC paints and sealants, composite siding and decking, daylight harvesting, natural ventilation, building shading, and utilization of locally manufactured materials.