ZIPPING ALONG
After permit difficulties, Glorieta Camps completes its overhaul and opens to community
Acleaned-up, improved and fully permitted Glorieta Camps drew hundreds of people Saturday to the sprawling outdoor haven’s annual end-of-summer community day — a family friendly event with zip lining, rock climbing, paddling and other activities.
The 2,400-acre property with a small lake,
nestled in the mountains near Glorieta, has been a Christian retreat and conference center since the 1950s. After new owners took over in 2013, however, they overhauled it with a stronger focus on outdoor adventure, offering both Christian and secular programs for youth and adults.
But Glorieta 2.0, a nonprofit coalition of Christian businessmen, admittedly moved forward with improvements without first obtaining required permits. Santa Fe County cited the group with numerous violations in 2017.
Most of the violations were because of unapproved developments, such as zip line structures, lake slides, diving boards, decks, a remodeled coffee shop, mountain biking trails and a skeet shooting range. County inspectors also found an unsanctioned dump site on the property filled with construction
debris classified as hazardous waste.
A couple of months after the violations were discovered, Glorieta Camps announced it had removed 250 tons of waste from the site and was working with the county to obtain permits for its new structures and facilities.
During Saturday’s celebration, officials said the work has been completed.
“All of that’s been done,” said Jeff Ward, director of finance and administration, adding that the owners invested about $3 million into improvements over the last couple of years. That compares with about $6 million in improvements Glorieta 2.0 made in its first two years of ownership.
“Really, the biggest part of the work was getting the permits from the county,” Ward said of the more recent project.
Most of the work involved removing the unpermitted landfill, bringing propane heating systems up to code, renovating some buildings and making improvements to drainage systems, and to its activity structures, including the zip lines. According to Ward, Glorieta 2.0 began installing new facilities shortly after buying the property and only later found that it needed permits. Santa Fe County was stricter than most regions in this regard, he added.
“There are very few jurisdictions, if any, that require a permit for zip lines,” he said.
Glorieta 2.0, a Texas-based nonprofit, purchased the property from LifeWay Christian Resources, a Nashville, Tenn.-based Southern Baptist group, for $1 in 2013.
“The predecessors wanted to have an organization come and carry on a similar mission,” Ward said.
Glorieta Camps’ mission, according to its website, is “Inspiring Christ-like change through outdoor adventure, authentic relationships and biblical truth.”
In addition to Christian retreats and events, the camp also offers school visits, summer camps for kids and other outdoor activities for youth and adults, including free hiking and biking trails.
It also hosts corporate retreats and retreats for civic and government organizations.
The centerpiece of the camp is a massive, 2,500-person capacity chapel overlooking the waterfront. Overnight accommodations can handle up to 3,000 guests.
Ward said the camp receives about 30,000 visitors per year.