The construction of our new dining hall is well underway and scheduled for completion this October. It is poised to make a huge impact on our summer campers and guests, as almost everyone who comes to Ferncliff visits the dining hall multiple times during their stay.

The location of the new dining hall is a major improvement. Being in a central spot, right where our old pool once stood, it is just a short stroll from most of our activity areas. It will be significantly bigger than our current dining hall. This will allow us to serve larger groups and multiple groups at one time as we increase our seating capacity from 120 to 208.

Our kitchen staff is excited about the new food preparation area with new equipment to help them prepare even better meals. The kitchen layout is designed with more ‘scratch cooking’ in mind, with areas to clean and prep food we grow on site and there is space provided for composting food waste we generate.

The main dining area will feature high ceilings with expansive wood trusses. Highly efficient ceiling vans will gently circulate the air to keep guests comfortable and lower energy use. Just off the main dining area there will be a partitioned meeting space that will seat 40 and can remain be open to the main dining area or sectioned off with retractable doors. This space will be ideal for meetings.

A feature sure to be a favorite are the large porches that extend off the south and west of the building giving folks a spot to sit and relax with a great view of the lake.

Some other notable “eco-friendly features” include LED lighting throughout, solar tubes that allow in natural light, and a rainwater catchment system that will irrigate a kitchen herb garden.

An added bonus to this construction project is that when it is completed we will be able to repurpose our existing dining hall into a program center and a large multi-purpose space for summer campers and retreat guests.

Upon completion the new dining hall will certainly be a welcoming space for all to enjoy and will serve us well for years to come.