The Louisiana 4-H Foundation is preparing to make a $1.8 million investment in its Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center near Pollock, La. More than 12,000 youth stay at the camp each year, and they come from across the state. Foundation executive director Jeff Bush said the new multipurpose facility will convert from an open-air pavilion into an enclosed building with fold-down walls in later phases of the project. He said he’ll begin accepting construction bids next month.
“It’s going to enhance our capacity, reach more kids, and enable us to utilize the facility year round," Bush said.
The state’s 4-H camp can accommodate hundreds of campers, but not in one space. Karen Martin, regional 4-H coordinator based in Homer, La., said the multipurpose facility will come in handy when it rains.
"The real need for this is because when you have 500 campers one week at a camp, they can’t all fit in one facility with the current facilities that we have right now," Martin said.
Bush has raised $770,000 for the project through a broad base of donors. This is allowing him to get started on the first phase of construction of the building designed by an Alexandria architecture firm. He said major construction will begin shortly after the summer camping program ends in August.