[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 98 (Thursday, July 15, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1381-E1382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, MEMBERS AND
STAFF OF INDOOR RECREATION OF ORLEANS COUNTY
______
HON. BERNARD SANDERS
of vermont
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 14, 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
[[Page E1382]]
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, and this 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.
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