The BAS Shelter

The next time you are sitting out at the field on a hot sunny day, and you want to thank someone for the shelter but don’t know who…

Well, you can thank long time member Mike Farnsworth.

Originally the club had a pole barn type shelter that blew down in 1986. 

In 1987 Ray Rizzo, who was the City building inspector at the time, came to Mike and said if you want to replace that shelter you need to do it now. New construction on the land was not possible but with Ray’s help and a set of plans drawn up by Mike they got this approved as a replacement for an existing structure.

With truss units donated by Bob Clifford and part of the concrete arranged for by member Rick Bertschinger, Mike then purchased and hauled all the material for construction out to the field in his then Datsun pickup. (Back then, about $1700.00 worth for which he was reimbursed by the club.)

With the help of many club members, the structure you enjoy today was completed.

Mike was also the primary individual who maintained the shelter. Updates like the membrane roof resolved his constant repair of the original asphalt roofing. Mike says he thinks he has painted the structure at least 6 times, 5 with a sprayer but his last round was with a brush and roller.

Mike said he still had the original plans that were submitted to Boulder for the building. Problem is that when he went looking for them they wern’t where he thought.

In recognition of this little known effort, Murray Lull proposed that the structure officially be “Known and Signed” as the Mike Farnsworth flight shelter. Plaques recognizing this, as approved by the club, have been added to the building.