PAUL SMITHS - Rebuilding the lean-to on Peter's Rock on Lower St. Regis Lake was a topic of discussion for many of the Paul Smith's College community. On Feb. 6, the fatal snowmobile accident of Josh Rau (a PSC student) and Kristine Guest occurred just one week after student Stephen Welch was killed in a car accident. This resulted, one student stated, in a "sense of loss and sadness" among the PSC community.

The lean-to Rau and Guest's snowmobile hit was also seriously damaged, and members of the college community soon set about the job of replacing it.

Paul Smith's College, after being approached by community members, purchased the cedar logs, and the project took off. Most of the participants would agree this was as close to "round table" leadership as you could get, with no one person at the head of the table. Nik Santagate, alumnus and community resident, stated, "This was a project that had no guilt and no glory. People either did what they could do, whether it was just coming by to touch the logs or staying through the whole process ... or if they couldn't participate at all, there was no guilt attached." It was an opportunity to "forever connect to this moment," said Joanne Court, a Paul Smiths resident.

It was an eclectic gathering of people from all aspects of the Paul Smiths community: students in the hotel/restaurant, urban tree management, forestry, surveying, RATE (recreation, adventure travel and eco-tourism), business, culinary, EET (environmental ecology technology) and liberal arts programs &emdash; and from the college and surrounding Paul Smiths community: caretakers and carpenters, caterers, librarians, faculty members, retired faculty members, administrators and staff. Of the roughly 54 people who participated, there were few who were not current students or alumni. This "is a great example of the Paul Smiths community ... members coming together for a common purpose," said volunteer Jack Burke, vice president for business and finance at PSC and a '78 alumnus.

The project took about 40 hours. During the first day, while one crew based on campus began peeling all of the logs as well as notching and constructing the first five courses, another crew was across the lake at Peter's Rock, dismantling the damaged lean-to, prepping the site for the new lean-to and hauling all of the debris back on campus, to be disposed of.

By the end of the second day, the lean-to had been completed, with rafters all notched. A sense of accomplishment was felt by all. Snatches of "community," "more fun than skiing," "honoring the family and college at the same time" and "something you can always come back to" were heard throughout the weekend.

During the week, a group met and numbered all of the logs on the newly constructed lean-to, then proceeded to take the structure down log by log and set them at the edge of the lake.

Early Saturday, March 26, people began loading up equipment and tools on one sled and logs, beginning with No. 1, on the other sled, to be towed out by snowmobile to Peter's Rock. While one crew kept the logs moving across the lake, another crew began reassembling the lean-to. Once the base on the original block foundation had been squared up, things went quickly.

Food on this day was bountiful. Donations came from Sohdexo for a grilled hot dog lunch, Adirondack Artisan Catering and Nori's Village Market .... all alumni or Paul Smiths community members.

After lunch, roof sheathing and floor decking were put in place. The chinking and roofing will be added once the weather warms.

The decision-making conversations regarding each step were as varied as the people doing the work. In the initial stages, there was a lot of mentoring between alumni and students. Watching alumnus Jim Brush close his eyes and listen to retired PSC faculty member Paul Pillis explain notching to students Sean Dalton and Mike Trump, you would swear you were back in an "Intro to Forestry" lab in 1978.

While notching a rafter, Jay Swartz explained to forestry student Casey Carter, "Hold the dividers vertical to the ground in order to trace the correct angle for the notch."

Inside the lean-to, the discussion as to cutting pockets for the floor joists, or building a box to nail the joists to, was approached in a different manner.

"Look, if you have a problem with this, let's take it outside and wrestle for it," said forestry student Dillan Kidder to urban tree student Ben Rubinfeld.

Jim Tucker stated, "This is a natural teaching forum for the college."

As the lean-to progressed, there was an obvious shift from sorrow to celebration. Rubinfeld stated, "It was a scene of healing, hard labor, bonding ... and most importantly a scene of laughter and remembrance."

Sean Dalton said, "The lean-to is emblematic of Josh's spirit in bringing out the best in people."

Carl Cocuzza, graduating student and resident assistant said, "I participated because this is part of my job as an RA, to represent something that the students in my dorm feel strongly about. ... It is also my chance to give back to the Paul Smith's community."

This was a "cathartic moment." Student "Big Al" Snyder had taken one face log and summed up the project by carving a leaning pine with these words beneath: "Built in memory of friends that have been loved and lost 2005."