Maine Summer Camps Fall 2013 - 3
Legislative and Government Affairs
News from the Maine Youth Camp Association
MYCA Board Elections
At the July Annual Meeting, the following
members were re-elected to the MYCA
board:
•President Elect, Peter Hirsch, Androscoggin
•Secretary, Tracy St. Onge - The Summer Camp
•Vice President, Fritz Seving - Fernwood
•Board seat, Norm Thombs - Mechuwana
•Board seat, Quincy Van Winkle - Wohelo
Notes from the Legislative Session
Jack Erler reports there were a number of
bills proposed that would have changed
the relationship between income, sales
and property taxes. Without any benefi t
fl owing to camps these bills reduced the
income and property taxes. In exchange
sales taxes would have been increased
in rate and coverage. As in the past,
the bills included a proposal to expand
sales tax to include services. One of the
categories, “amusement, entertainment
and recreational” services, was not defi ned
and thus would have included camp tuition.
In addition, the current list of sales tax
exemptions was to be eliminated. This
would have resulted in a sales tax on meals
served in camp. The good news is that none
of these bills passed. The cautionary note is
that the issue of broadening sales taxes and
eliminating sales tax exemptions is NOT
going away.
MYCA is the sister organization to Maine Summer Camps. It focuses on governmental relations for
summer camps in Maine. It is a 501c4 non-profi t. For more information on any items listed, contact MYCA at 207-518-9557.
Fritz Seving Honored with Halsey Gulick Award
Pam Cobb of Runoia presented MSC’s highest
honor, the Halsey Gulick Award, to Fritz
Seving, of Fernwood at the July MSC Annual
Meeting
Maine Summer Camps is honored to
pay tribute to Fritz Seving, owner/
director of Camp Fernwood by
awarding him the esteemed Halsey
Gulick Award at the July Annual
Meeting. In all of Fritz’s endeavors,
he has provided the leadership and
wisdom to do what is best for Maine
camps as a group. Maine camping is
blessed to have Fritz’s vision, support
and dedication.
Following his years as a camper, his
long and successful relationship with
Camp Robin Hood in Sargeantville,
ME began. From camper to staffer at
age 15, with a one- summer hiatus from
camp (“the most disappointing summer
of his life!”), Fritz moved up the ranks
to “director”, working at camp through
his college summers and recruiting in
the winter.
At age 25, he knew that camp would be
a full time career, and he began sending
out exploratory letters, one of which
got to Macky King who was seeking an
assistant director for Camp Fernwood.
Kismet! It was quickly apparent that
Macky, Fritz and Fernwood were a great
match, and in 1989 his Fernwood career
began.
Fritz soon helped Fernwood’s
enrollment to rebound. Happily, Macky
would eventually sell the camp to the
Fritz and his wife Christine in 2002,
but they welcomed her continued
leadership role for many years. In
1998, happy with Fernwood’s successful
format, but seeing the changing trend
for shorter session camps, Fritz and
2 partners founded Fernwood Cove
on the former Camp Chickawah site
in Harrison. Thus began Maine’s fi rst
half-season traditional girls’ camp. The
Cove was later sold to Jim and Beigette
Gill.
Fritz has been a catalyst for positive
change and forward thinking in the
Maine camp community for the past
several decades. In the early 2000’s Fritz
stepped into leadership roles in the
larger camp community. He served as
President of the Maine Youth Camping
Association (now Maine Summer
Camps) from 2003-05 and now as
Treasurer (since 2007). He launched
several “big ideas” for Maine camps –
the fi rst was to spin off the lobbying
& legislative functions into a sister
organization, the Maine Youth Camp
Association (MYCA). Fritz serves as
an active member of the MYCA board
as Vice President. He also inaugurated
the special marketing effort from
2011- 2013, which created an enhanced
website, web presence and branding for
MSC.
Fritz has served on the board of the
Association of Independent Camps
and is a founding member of the Maine
Camp Experience group.
For full citation of Fritz’s award,
please visit: http://mainecamps.org/
fi les/2010/04/2013-Gulick-Book.pdf