[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15913-15914]
[From the U.S. 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 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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