Recognizing the Accomplishments of the Board of Directors, Members and Staff of Indoor Recreation of Orleans County
RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, MEMBERS AND STAFF OF INDOOR RECREATION OF ORLEANS COUNTY -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 15, 2004)
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the accomplishments of a very special group of volunteers who hail from Vermont's Northeast Kingdom-the tri-county area of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties. I rise to honor the dedicated men and women who have formed and are building Indoor Recreation of Orleans County, more generally known as IROC.
Dr. Robert E. Smith, a resident of Newport, chairs the IROC Board of Directors. Dr. Smith and the IROC Board are supported by a 50-member President's Advisory Council, a group of community leaders whose guidance has been invaluable all along the way.
James G. Davis directs IROC's day-by-day operations for the Board of Directors. Mr. Davis is a native Vermonter whose vision for the organization has been inspirational.
IROC's three-fold mission addresses key regional issues: To improve the quality of life and develop healthy lifestyles for Northeast Kingdom area residents-especially youth-through educational and recreational activities; to develop community-centered facilities and programs that foster a safe environment and inclusive programs to all participants; and, to deliver its services and programs at the lowest cost possible.
IROC will have five distinct facility emphases: (1) an aquatic center; (2) a multi-purpose recreation arena; (3) a fitness center; (4) a community room, and (5) an educational/technology center. Within each of these areas, multiple activities have been identified for further development.
The Aquatic Center (Main Level) will focus not only on general swimming but also on competitive swimming, rehabilitation, and other types of water activities. North Country Hospital and Health Center, Inc. has committed to using the Aquatic Center on a regular basis for those patients whose rehabilitation program would benefit from hydrotherapy.
The Multi-purpose Recreation Arena (Main Level) has been designed specifically to allow for flexibility in activities. The floor plan for this area includes three regulation-size high school basketball courts that can be converted (almost instantaneously) to accommodate indoor soccer, in-line skating, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis and badminton. The multi-purpose area includes seating for 500 spectators and will serve the anticipated demand for general recreation as well as league and tournament play. A walking track will surround the multi-purpose floor area. The design of the multi-purpose area will allow for specialty shows (home, garden, auto, for example) and concerts.
A 2,100 sq. ft. Fitness Center will offer cardiovascular training and exercise, aerobics instruction, fitness training, muscle toning, and body building activities to interested individuals on a membership basis. North Country Hospital and Health Center, Inc. has also committed to using the Fitness Center on a regular basis for its rehabilitation and wellness programs.
IROC's Mezzanine Level will contain a 4,200 square foot multi-purpose Lloyd Selby Community Room designed to accommodate meetings, dances, special events, educational programs and seminars, and other community-based activities.
The Mezzanine Level will also house an Educational/Technology Center equipped with state-of-the-art computers and other multi-media materials. Designed for such educational purposes as after-school tutoring, computer training, employment and training seminars, and other related activities, the programs in the Technology Center will focus on youth.
In addition, the Mezzanine Level will contain a Meeting Room that will be made available, as needed and as a public service, to area non-profit organizations in need of meeting space.
To date, the IROC Board of Directors has been able to secure and purchase a ten-acre parcel of land in Derby, Vermont, erect a 54,000 square foot steel building on the site, and initiate the interior build-out of the facility. All of this has been made possible through the generosity of local northeastern Vermonters, whose cash and in-kind contributions to date total over $2.5 million, a remarkable achievement, given the region's poor economy.
As you all know, Vermont is a beautiful state, and the Northeast Kingdom represents one of its loveliest regions. All of the natural beauty in the area provides a wonderful place to live and a special place to spend a vacation. After our many summer visitors leave, however, and before the snow arrives, our year-round residents settle into their fall and winter routines. Off-season unemployment rebounds, and local residents look for activities to occupy the long cold nights and short days.
There is an international ice youth hockey program-Border Minor Hockey-and there is, of course, the usual array of school-based sports programs. But those programs reach only a small percentage of the population. Youth, working adults, and the community beyond school age are largely left out of the picture. The residents of the Northeast Kingdom have recognized this need; they have organized themselves; and they are supporting IROC to respond to the region's needs.
When the facility is opened later this year, IROC will deliver indoor recreation, educational opportunities, rehabilitation services, and many related community activities to the citizens of Vermont. When IROC is fully operational, over 30 full-time equivalent jobs will have been created in a region that is sorely in need of increased employment opportunities.
This has not happened overnight. In fact, it has taken nearly 16 years for IROC to get where it is today. I am pleased to report, however, that as we stand here today, the process that began in 1988 is nearly complete.
Funds are still being raised to finish the interior as originally designed, and program grant proposals are being written to fund the educational and community activities that will take place in the building. I am proud to say that my office has been able to secure almost $340,000 in federal funding to support IROC through the Economic Development Initiative at the Department of Housing & Urban Development and the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice.
Mr. Speaker, IROC is an organization that is having an immensely positive effect on this area of Vermont. Once this community center is built, it should serve as a national model for building indoor community recreation centers throughout Vermont and the rest of the country. To accomplish that goal, I have introduced H.R. 1022, the Urban and Rural Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Act. H.R. 1022 would provide $100 million in federal funding for the construction of community centers in rural and urban areas to reduce obesity and prevent disease and currently has over 20 co-sponsors.
The residents of this most rural area of the state have shown true Vermont spirit by supporting this project through their financial and in-kind investments and through their extraordinary volunteer activities. The Vermont National Guard contributed over a week of in-kind labor (valued at $200,000) to help with building construction. Local businesses have provided materials and labor as gifts. The community raised over $226,000 in a three-week period in response to a challenge grant made in 2003 by a former area resident. And these are only a few examples of how the community has participated in building IROC!
The final fund raising efforts for the Aquatic Center and rehabilitation area are going forward. The facility will open in the fall, and memberships will soon be available. Built on a sound business model, IROC will be self-supporting, andthis exemplary organization represents just one more example of the "we can grow our own" spirit of the hardy residents of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties.
Mr. Speaker, Esteemed Colleagues, please join me as I commend and recognize the members of the Board of Directors, staff, and other citizens of Vermont who have made this project possible.
2004-2005 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Officers: Robert E. Smith, PhD, President (Newport, Vermont), RE Smith Consulting, Inc.; Edmond A. Cantwell, Vice President (Newport, Vermont), Corporal, Vermont State Police; Terrie McQuillen, Treasurer (Derby, Vermont), Vice President, Community National Bank; Laurie Stewart, RN, Secretary (Newport, Vermont), Occupational Therapist, North Country Hospital System, Inc.
Members: Dawn Brainard (Holland, Vermont), Owner/President, Memphremagog Press Printers, Inc.; Anita Gariepy (Newport, Vermont), Homemaker; Conrad Grims (Derby, Vermont), Wilson & White, LLC; Harold Limlaw (Newport, Vermont), Newport Center Elementary School; Patrick Martell (Newport, Vermont), Co-Owner, Al's Snowmobile, Inc. & President, Newport Chamber of Commerce; Ronald Quigley (Newport, Vermont), Consultant, Former CEO, Butterfield's, Inc.
Staff: James G. Davis (Lyndonville, Vermont), Executive Director; Patricia Chmielecki (Irasburg, Vermont), Administrative Assistant.