Work on the new Boetcher Lodge is wrapping up and soon Ogden residents will be able to reserve the facility located at Pineway Ponds Park.
The nearly 1,500 square foot lodge will be ready for rentals January 2, 2014, and accommodates 99 people in its bright meeting room which now overlooks the park grounds and pond.
Ogden residents have their own reservation day Saturday, December 7 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at the Ogden Parks and Recreation Department. Non-residents can reserve the lodge beginning Monday, December 9.
It’s been a little more than a year since the original lodge was destroyed in an arson fire. The lodge is named after former Town Parks and Recreation Director Glenn Boetcher, who died in 2003.
The new spacious lodge features many amenities, including heat, restrooms and a handicapped accessible drinking fountain. Large windows along the east and west walls provide views of the park and a wall of windows on the north wall overlooks the pond. French doors on the north wall open onto a large covered patio/porch area.
Ogden Supervisor Gay Lenhard says the interior walls are done in knotty pine with wainscoting below wide horizontal planks of the natural wood.
The kitchen has an oven/stove, microwave, refrigerator, and lots of counter space, including a counter top along the pass-through wall that opens into the meeting room, providing a place to serve food.
Grills will be set up behind the lodge, off the kitchen, Lenhard says, and there is separate access to the kitchen from the back of the building.
Another special feature of the lodge is the Tectum ceiling, Lenhard notes. The panels absorb sound, controlling noise and making it easier for guests to converse during events held at the lodge.
On the west side of the building is an open area which has been leveled-off to accommodate large tents for bigger events, and a walkway surrounds the lodge.
Lenhard and Parks and Recreation Director Andrea Hansen have worked together with an architect over much of the past year making decisions about how the interior and exterior would look. Aesthetics were very important, Lenhard said.
“It’s been a long process,” she notes, “but it’s been worth it. It’s very exciting.”
The exterior of the lodge features hard board siding and a brown steel roof with a cupola. The color scheme is a light, cocoa-brown with white trim. A natural stone-like product is used as an accent along the lower part of the exterior walls.
The new lodge is also situated differently from the original lodge – it now faces the park and the main entry on the east side of the building is bumped out, creating a space inside to hang coats.
Construction of the lodge was completed by a local contractor as well as the Ogden Highway Department, Lenhard says.
Fees for the new lodge will be $180 for residents and $200 for non-residents. There is an additional $15 fee for winter rentals between November 1 and April 30.
Residents can reserve one year in advance of their desired date and non-residents can reserve six months in advance. Payment is required at the time of reservation – cash, check or money order are accepted. Photo ID is required.
11/17/13
