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Jocelyn Robinson

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Fred Kraus
Jocelyn Robinson
Callie Cary '84

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Jocelyn Robinson

Glen Renovation Project Begins

By Diane Chiddister

The renovation of the Cedar Center at the Outdoor Education Center (OEC) was accomplished through a generous gift to Antioch College in memory of Bob Headley ’34, given by his wife Dorothy Headley ’35, and daughters Gretchen Muller ’59 and Kristin Muller ’61. The following article appeared in the YS News, dated August 16, 2001.

The Cedar Center improvements in progress.

School campers at Glen Helen’s Outdoor Education Center this fall will find themselves housed in one building that looks brand spanking new. Actually, it’s an old building – more than 40 years old – but the OEC’s Cedar Center is currently undergoing extensive renovation. “When it’s finished, it will be brand new,” said Glen Helen Ecology Institute (GHEI) Executive Director Bob Whyte of the work currently being completed on the largest of the OEC’s three dormitories. During the school year, the dormitories host visiting groups of elementary school students who learn environmental education in the Glen’s living laboratory.

The Cedar Center renovation marks the first phase of an ambitious, long-term project, said Whyte. “We’ve decided to make a full-fledged effort to move ahead” with the renovation of all GHEI facilities, he said. The renovation marks a new look for the Glen, said Whyte, that goes along with staff members’ vision of the Glen’s mission. “We want the Glen to be a leader in environmental education,” he said. Funds for the Cedar Center renovation come from a quarter-million-dollar gift from Dorothy Headley in memory of her late husband, Bob, said Whyte.

The OEC Lodge is on the list of upcoming renovations.

Received several years ago and earmarked for renovation of the OEC and the Trailside Museum, the funds have remained unused due partially to GHEI administrative turnover, said Whyte, who took over as Glen director last summer. Plans for the Cedar Center renovation evolved from a series of meetings led by Whyte, GHEI Board of Overseers member Peggy Harris and local architect Ted Donnell, who donated his time to help with planning. The meetings involved a cross-section of people
involved with the Glen, including Antioch College students and faculty, members of the Glen Helen Association trustees and Board of Overseers, teachers and community members. “We wanted a diverse group of people looking at this,” said Whyte about the meetings, which began in the spring and continued this fall. Meeting participants envisioned continuing the current OEC mission as a residential school camp for environmental education, with a potential future use as a retreat and meeting center for local organizations. Both functions require extensive renovation of the buildings, all of which are at least 40 years old and in poor condition, Whyte said. “If we don’t do something soon,” said Whyte, “we’ll lose some of the buildings.” Since the Glen has “operated on a shoestring” budget for most of its history, past upkeep on the buildings has been minimal, he said. “When I came, the staff told me they were tired of doing things piecemeal, tired of always doing things cheaply,” said Whyte. “We’ve decided we’ll find the extra money we need to do it right.” Central to the planners’ vision has been renovating existing buildings rather than building new ones. “We’re not looking to build anything new,” said Whyte. “We want to minimize our ecological footprint and not do anything to disturb the existing land.”

Planners chose Cedar Center for the renovation’s first stage because it’s the largest of the dormitories and the most in need of repair, said Whyte, who added that the Glen has received complaints from teachers involved in the school camp program about the building’s poor condition. The building is also used extensively for weekend group rentals by families, nonprofit groups, businesses and churches. The weekend rentals provide an additional and critical source of income, Whyte said. “The OEC can’t support itself by doing only its primary mission of environmental education,” said Whyte. Upgrading the OEC facilities will allow the Ecology Institute to increase its income by charging higher prices for rental use. And even though the building’s use as a rental is primarily for producing income, the weekend rentals also serve the Glen’s mission by exposing more people to the natural world, Whyte said. “All of these uses help more people become aware of the Glen, and of the importance of environmental conservation,” he said. The renovation of the Cedar Center began in June when workers replaced the building’s roof and roof supports. Contractors installed new windows, walls, and fooring and upgraded the electrical system before school camps began in September. While planners chose to keep the current electrical system in order to complete the renovation quickly, future building renovations will involve alternative energy sources, Whyte said. Overseeing the project is Donnell, whose help has been critical to the entire project, said Whyte. “There’s no way we could have done this without Ted,” said Whyte. “He loves the Glen.” While the GHEI has the funds to renovate the Cedar Center, future renovations will depend on extensive fundraising. Planners hope the Cedar Center renovation will spark financial support for continued renovations. “We hope this work will catapult us to build momentum for working on the rest of the facilities,” said Whyte. “We felt that we needed to get started right now. We needed to make a statement that we’re serious about rebuilding the physical plant of the Glen.”