CHARLESTOWN — Camp Watchaug, the 75-year-old idyllic summer camp set on 30 pristine waterfront acres and packed with generations' worth of happy memories, has reached another milestone. The camp, founded in 1948 — by what was then known as the Westerly-Pawcatuck YMCA, Camp Watchaug — is now the official fourth branch of Ocean Community YMCA. The accomplishment — which came after the approval from the national YMCA of the USA — is a milestone which warms the heart of many, especially the one belonging to legendary camp director John Barton Coduri.
"It's wonderful ...
just wonderful," said Coduri, a longtime leader with both the local and national YMCA, one recent afternoon as he walked through the camp property with his daughter, Jennifer Coduri Ross, chair of the camp's board of directors, and camp executive director Carmen Matlock. "It's such a beautiful natural resource." "Camp Watchaug is the jewel of our association," said Maureen Fitzgerald, the president and CEO of the of the Ocean Community YMCA, who shared the announcement of the national approval in a phone call earlier this summer.
"We have put over $2 million in restorations and enhancements at the camp," Fitzgerald said, as she listed the improvements at the camp, which were funded by donors and foundation support. In addition to a brand new welcome center, she said, there have been improvements to the amphitheater and pavilion, septic system and roadway improvements, plus a new zipline and archery area..