Second Cottage School building opens for 2023 SUMFUN

Renovations to the second of the three Cottage School buildings were completed in time to welcome children for the 2023 SUMFUN program.

The three-man county facilities crew of Gary Rothery, Sean Hessey and Mike Nolan, along with several local contractors, added new flooring, redid the majority of the plumbing, painted the interior, replaced broken windows and got the HVAC and water heater running over the course of the last several months. The City of Fallon replaced the roof of each building in previous years as a way to help preserve the historical integrity of the facilities.

While some aspects of the building were replaced or repaired, many original features remain including the chalkboards, window fixtures, the kid-sized sinks, toilets and drinking fountains, and the shelving and cabinet units.

The county facilities cleaning crew swept up the construction dust and made sure it was ready for SUMFUN campers in the first weeks of the program.

According to Recreation Supervisor Robyn Jordan, the goal is to keep each classroom to 30 children for a total of 120 kids maximum in the SUMFUN program.

“We are grateful to the Churchill County School District for their donation of the child-sized portable lunch tables and other furnishings,” she said, adding that more staff has been hired to increase enrolment for all programs at the Cottage School.

Parks & Recreation’s SUMFUN summer day camp provides full-day childcare for the summer months. Campers enjoy daily games, crafts and recreational activities including weekly trips to such places as Wild Island Adventure Park, Nevada Discovery Museum, Children’s Museum of Nevada, Fleishmann Planetarium and Animal Ark. Local experiences include outings to the local museum, library, indoor and outdoor pools and parks.

In addition to the building renovations, a new piece of electronic playground equipment was installed thanks to funding obtained by Churchill County Social Services, Family Resource Center on behalf of the CDC Health Disparities opportunity passed by the State of Nevada Grants Management Unit of July 1, 2022.

The Cottage Schools are located at 255 E. Stillwater Ave., across from Epworth Methodist Church. Information on the SUMFUN program can be found at www.churchillcountyrecreation.org.

Anne McMillin is public information officer for Churchill County.