The weekend of May 17th through 19th provided for excellent weather to get some work done on
the cottage. Members began pouring into Alturas throughout Friday, quickly picking up a tool
and getting to work. Those in attendance were afforded a tour of the administration building next
door to our cottage. This was a first, with full access to the building’s interior. The first floor
remains barely touched since its construction in 1917 with the exception of one small office
turned into a lady’s restroom. In the main office of the Elks Lodge hangs an original blueprint of
the building, designed by architect Carl Werner of San Francisco. Following the tour, the
wonderful staff of the teen center gave a presentation on the services provided at the cottage.
The occasion was a great opportunity for the members and staff to meet each other and learn
more about each other’s organizations.
Throughout the weekend, some final paint was applied to the south side of the cottage, while
others dug out around the base to get back to the original elevation. Pressure treated boards
were placed as temporary walls separating the elevation differences until we begin developing
the full grounds into a park in the future. French drains were placed around the cottage to
ensure proper draining away from the cottage, and sand brought in as ground cover in the
planters. After the completion of windows, plants will go in and a drip irrigation system installed.
New frost free hose faucets were installed in the front and back for water access. In the rear of
the cottage, a new paver patio was installed the full width of the back wall. Members helped
grade the back for proper runoff of rain and snow.
Over the next couple months, sunshades will be installed over the patio, and irrigated lawn
placed in the remaining back yard area. And the windows, of which I’m told are finally being
constructed! Our goal is to have this work done by the end of fall. This will be the completion of
the cottage grounds and structure for the foreseeable future as we turn our focus onto the
buildout of our car barn, continue moving rolling stock into the collection, and the future
development of our railway park. It was a great weekend catching up with members and
continuing the work of the N-C-O. We are looking forward to the fall weekend in September.
