Post Sandy Repairs Progress

Sebago Canoe Club members of all ages and races, recent members and long-time members tackled post Sandy repair work this Saturday. 

Post sandy walkway before repair

The biggest job requiring the most people was repairing the main walkway, lifted off its foundation by the tide and left broken and scattered around the club grounds.  Even after the walkway was sawed into smaller pieces, it took ten to twenty people to lift and replace the sections.  One crew had started near the dock and was replacing the walk from west to east.  Another crew had started at the sidewalk gate and was replacing the walk east to west.

We all took a lunch break before finishing the walkway work.  Many volunteers had made soup, stew, and chili or brought store made lunch items for a group lunch.  Scattered around the club grounds, members ate lunch and told of their own hurricane experiences as well as sharing other news and stories they had heard from others.

Slipping the final piece into place

Refreshed by a hearty lunch and rest, the final sections of the walkway were cut and carried into place until the last piece of the sidewalk puzzle was put into place, only an inch or two  having to be cut off to make it fit into place.  It was like the joining of the transcontinental Sebago railroad sans the golden spike.

Sebago walkway after repair

Throughout the morning and afternoon others had been hard at work cleaning out the storage containers, cleaning and re-positing sailboats and kayak, pulling water logged material out of the club house, and other odds and ends.  It was a true group effort involving forty to fifty people and a testament to the dedication many Sebago members have to the volunteer run, 501C3 nonprofit membership organization that operates as a concessioner on New York City Park land.

A lot of work still needs done around the club, inside the clubhouse and containers and out on the grounds, but the grunt work which demanded many hands is finished.  With walkway, kayaks, and sailboats back into position, it is now much easier and safer to move around on club property and the grounds look almost normal.