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The ��Ӱֱ�� State Pioneer Woodsmen’s Club has made great strides since being formed five years ago, upgrading to more competitive equipment and becoming a top-ranked collegiate timber sports team.

And thanks to the recent renovation of a building behind the college’s Veterinary Technology Center on Route 244, the club now has a facility it can call its own.

��Ӱֱ�� State marked the opening of the Pioneer Woodsmen’s Club Barn Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by ��Ӱֱ�� State President Dr. Skip Sullivan, Vice President for Student Affairs Greg Sammons, club members, and faculty and staff. According to ��Ӱֱ�� State Police Lt. Scott Bingham, club adviser, the 850-square-foot building was renovated this summer for $10,000, and was completed in September. It now serves as the location for the club’s saw mill, and is being utilized for practicing certain timber sports disciplines.

“We purchased the new saw mill two years ago and have been bouncing it all over campus trying to keep it protected from the elements. Also, the club competes year-round and with New York’s weather, it’s not feasible to train outdoors in the winter months or even in the warmer weather with rain,” Bingham said as to the purpose of renovating the barn.

Sullivan, who gave the opening remarks, thanked the Facilities Services employees who worked on the renovations and he also thanked the club members for being active and engaged students.

“Our clubs and organizations are very important to ��Ӱֱ�� State and this one is as well,” Sullivan said. “It’s one of our fastest-growing clubs thanks to its leadership, and we expect it to continue to grow.”

Chad Martin, club president and a construction management engineering technology major from Breesport, provided a student perspective on the new Pioneer Woodsmen’s Club Barn.

“Over the past few years, we’ve had to mill wood outside during rain, during snow, and to be inside away from all of that is huge,” Martin said. “The Woodsmen’s Club is a family to us. We’re a small-knit group. Everybody’s got everybody’s back. It’s a little different than a sports team, but we compete as a sports team. I’m just saying, for everybody else, that this is our home away from home.”

When the club was formed five years ago, Bingham said, the group was practicing on the top of a nearby water tower hill with equipment he had left over from his days of professional competitions.

“I stored the equipment in the police department and in personnel vehicles. The club bounced around for a couple years, but with the college’s support, we are now one of the top-ranked collegiate timber sports teams in the Northeast and Canada, we have our own heated garage, and now an enclosed barn large enough to run a saw mill in,” Bingham said. “We have some very competitive equipment and are doing better every day. Our club still has some room for improvements and advancements, but we are making great strides.”

Bingham said the barn is a great addition to the club.

“We utilized a partially erected structure that was going to just deteriorate if it wasn’t utilized,” Bingham said. “So, we saved some materials and got a barn to put our saw mill in at a very affordable price. This barn has rooted us behind the Veterinary Technology Center as the Woodsmen’s Club’s home, whereas previously we were nomadic, afraid to set our roots and develop an area for our specific needs. Now we can.”

In photo above: ��Ӱֱ�� State President Dr. Skip Sullivan uses a chainsaw Wednesday to cut the wooden “ribbon” at a ceremony to celebrate the new Pioneer Woodsmen’s Club Barn. (photo by Lucas Bayus)