Slate Roofers Converge in the Vermont Slate Valley
The Slate Roofing Contractors Association of North America, Inc., held it’s 2010 annual meetings and conference in the Slate Valley of Vermont on a sunny weekend in September. The entire Board of Directors gathered to discuss business while a general membership meeting ensued, all taking place at the Fair Haven Inn in Fair Haven, Vermont, noted for its fine food and service. The conference began with two slate quarry tours. Shawn Camara of Camara Slate Products, Inc., in Fair Haven, gave the entire SRCA crew a guided tour of his family’s slate quarry operation including the slate mill and finishing yard. A second quarry and mill tour followed in the afternoon at the Greenstone Slate Company in Poultney. Videos of these tours are available for viewing at SlateRoofers.org.
A lively evening reception was held at the Slate Valley Museum in Granville, NY, with delicious appetizers, wine, live music and a museum tour. This reception was sponsored by The Durable Slate Company of Columbus, OH. The band at the reception was sponsored by the Greenstone Slate Company.
The group enjoyed an Historic Roof Tour, guided by Shawn Camara, in the afternoon after the meetings and presentations. The tour included old slate roofs in the slate valley, old slate-walled houses, an old abandoned slate mill and some newer slate roofs and buildings.
Presentations were provided by John Chan and Gary Howes of The Durable Slate Company, and Joe Jenkins of Joseph Jenkins, Inc. John showed a Powerpoint about the restoration of a copper cupola in Westerville, Ohio and a second presentation about a residential slate roof in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Gary’s Powerpoint discussed the restoration of St. Peter's Catholic Cathedral in Jackson, Mississippi. Joe’s presentation was about the International Federation of Roofing Trades Congress.
The SRCA became a member of the International Federation of Roofing Trades (IFD) in 2009 and sent a delegation to the IFD Congress in Belfast, Northern Ireland in November, 2010. The delegates included six Board members; seven additional Americans affiliated with the SRCA also attended.
The location for the 2011 SRCA annual meetings and conference has not yet been determined. Stay tuned at SlateRoofers.org.