Saunders Woods: Lending a Hand

By Paul Claypoole, Preserve Manager

Spring has sprung, and with the arrival of fresh vegetation around the preserve, the interior of the community center in the lower barn at Saunders Woods Preserve received a fresh coat of paint.

Peter Grove, who has served on the board of Friends of Saunders Woods for the past two years, said at our last board meeting that he would like to freshen up the lower barn area as a volunteer project. The Board had been talking about having this job done but funds hadn’t been available, so we unanimously accepted Peter’s offer.

The Finished Product

When NLT accepted Dorothy Saunders’ donation of Saunders Woods, which was previously known as “Little Farm”, in 1988, we inherited the Saunders’ legacy of hospitality, particularly within the barn, which has housed local college students, horses, bike riders, and foreign exchange students over the decades. It is a legacy that we carry on with enthusiasm, and to that end, we have been offering the barn’s amenities—a full kitchen, bathrooms, and indoor/outdoor meeting and eating spaces—to community groups, for a nominal fee.

 The painting needed to be done when it was not freezing cold, since the barn is unheated, and before rentals started, so there was a tight schedule. Working with Steve Longenecker (Regional Building Supervisor) on scheduling and picking up supplies, Peter and his wife, Nancy, began painting in the last week of April and completed the project in the first week of May.

 The community center in the barn, which dates to the 1800s, now looks brand new. A big thank you to Peter and Nancy for their interest in making sure the barn looks its best and their excellent handiwork!