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Camp Letico Restoration History
July 28, 2007
My name is Joann Sabados-Carolina. I was instrumental in the restoration of Camp Letico in Roselle, NJ. I was recently looking at a pictorial history of Roselle Girl Scouts and realized that the restoration of Letico should be documented. I will attempt to do this to the best of my memory with the assistance of the notes that I kept.
In 1999, Camp Letico was not an operational facility. Animals had moved into the building and vandalism was rampant. Cadette Troop 12 wanted to bring the facility back to an operational status. They had enjoyed using the camp when they were younger and wanted other Girl Scouts to have the opportunity to enjoy the facility as well. I was the troop leader of this troop and I was very hesitant to initiate this project. It did not seem financially feasible and would require an enormous amount of labor.
That did not stop the desire of Troop 12 to tackle this project. With the support of the Roselle/Roselle Park Rotary Club (Rotary Club) the restoration project began!
My notes indicate that in 1999 the following projects occurred:
§ Camp Letico road sign donated and installed, courtesy of the Rotary Club
§ Tree removal courtesy of DPW - effects from Hurricane Floyd
§ Clean-up sponsored by Troop12 – the Roselle GS community participated
The camp was now used by troops for meetings, gatherings and also used by the council for training activities.
The Rotary Club was a major contributor towards the restoration of Camp Letico. They made annual monetary donations in addition to physical labor and volunteering of business resources.
An unfortunate incident occurred during a clean up in May of 2000. A group of students from St. Joseph the Carpenter School were working at a clean-up in the wooded area next to Camp Letico, known as Smith Woods. They found a decomposed infant’s body in a garbage bag. This was a very sad and disturbing experience for all involved. The student that made this horrific discovery happened to be an active Roselle Girl Scout.
In October of 2000 we received a US flag that was flown over the capitol on October 31, the birthday of Juliette Gordon-Low.
In October of 2000 we also learned that we no longer had insurance on Camp Letico. The insurance was always funded by the Council. However, their agent required the following before they would renew the insurance:
§ Repair of steps
§ Paint over graffiti
§ Replace and secure windows from future break-ins
§ Repair chimney
We were informed that if the repairs were not done, THE HOUSE WOULD BE DEMOLISHED!
We started fund raising and began making contacts again with as many people that we could. On January 27, 2001 we received a grant from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders in the amount of $15,000 to assist with the restoration! The people that were responsible for obtaining this grant for us were Assemblyman Neil Cohen, a Roselle resident, Jamel Holley, a Roselle resident and Chief-of-Staff for Mr. Cohen, Louise Squillace, staff member in Mr. Cohen’s office and grandmother of Aylse and Rachel Squillace, 2 girls in our troop.
Karl Heuser, a local contractor, was hired for the restoration. Work began in the spring of 2001. The work list completed consisted of:
§ The outside walls were fixed – they sustained major water damage
§ Installation of the deck on the right side of the building
§ Replacement of both the bathroom and kitchen floors
§ Installation of new windows and replacement of toilets
§ Installation of panic bars and exit signs
§ Repaired the fireplace, front concrete porch, and the leaking roof
§ Replacement of the porch roof
The Rotary Club assisted with a variety of repairs at this time. The Rotary Club and their contacts performed the following:
§ Major ceiling repairs consisting of the removal of the ceiling tiles and insulation. This was a physically challenging job to do.
§ Outdoor window security shutters were donated and installed through a Rotary contact.
§ The indoor ceiling and outside of the building was painted through donations
§ Electrical wiring removal from ceiling
The newly renovated Camp Letico was used in May, 2002 for a Roselle Girl Scout Activity Day. The camp was then used for Council Summer Day Camp.
The roof of the great room was replaced in May, 2006 courtesy of council.
Numerous people assisted with the restoration of Camp Letico. Vincent Belluscio, Business Administrator of Roselle, was very helpful to the Girl Scouts. Marilyn, his wife, and past SUM donated to the restoration and provide much needed information.
Ruth Weiner, past SUM, also assisted with contributing historical information.
The Carolina family, Jerry, Jenny, and Jessica assisted with a variety of projects throughout the process.
Debbie Esposito and Nancy Faulks, along with their troops, also assisted with the work of the restoration.