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The Ely Community and Youth Recreation Center Project was put together as a partnership between Iron Range Youth in Action and the Ely Parks and Recreation Committee. The proposed facility would meet the needs of both a community center and a place for youth and families to recreate as it would be the hub of a new Park in Ely. The building is 48 ft x 52 ft and it will be sectioned into four areas to include: Deli-Style Restaurant, Lounge, warming area for skaters, and storage area. This community and youth recreation facility will be centered in the new Ely Park and be surrounded by basketball courts, hockey rink, open-ice rink, and a state-of-the-art skate park. The community center would be available to rent for private engagements as well as a meeting place for various community organizations. The facility will also serve as a recreational facility for area youth as they will run the Deli-Style Restaurant as a business, and they will offer youth programming throughout the year.
It will be a great accomplishment for the City of Ely to see this project completed. We project the Ely, Babbitt, Embarrass, Tower, Soudan, Winton, Lake Vermilion, Morris and Fall Lake communities will utilize the park and youth facility. This is truly a recreational facility where anyone has the ability to utilize it. Upon completion, the quality of recreational opportunities for area families will definitely be improved.
The need for this type of facility serves several purposes. First, it offers our area youth several safe and healthy opportunities to grow and learn. In St. Louis County, out of home placement costs our taxpayers $8,000,000 per year for services provided to 400 youth. This type of facility reaches out to all youth across social and economic backgrounds and provides positive opportunities and activities dealing in three areas. Youth will learn business skills. Youth will learn responsibilities. Youth will be involved in activities that will build self esteem and give them a foundation to make healthy choices.
Secondly, a facility of this nature increases community vitality. As the Iron Range faces challenges in retaining a younger workforce, our communities need to be able to compete with larger metropolitan communities. We need to offer amenities in our communities that will attract young families to relocate to our area as jobs become available. This facility is not a luxury, but a necessity, especially in light of the lack there of economic growth in the East Iron Range. In terms of economic development, a thriving workforce is vital in being able to bring new companies and businesses to the region. Our communities need to offer more than the very basic necessities we have currently if we are to attract young families back to the Iron Range.
Lastly, this project is a community-based project having brought the community together for a common goal. The community support is evident in the volunteering of most of the labor and donations from area businesses. Our area contractors will both donate and be paid for their services while we also purchase all our products for this facility through local vendors. The City Council, St. Louis County Board of Commissioners, and our State Legislators all agree that this facility is a necessity. Of course, the cost of such a structure is huge for such a small community with limited resources. There is an understanding that Ely is obligated to do their part to bring this facility to fruition, and that is why their City Council and Park and Recreation committee, as well as Iron Range Youth in Action, have raised thousands of dollars and coordinated commitments by local contractors to donate labor. With all of this work already done, and much more to do, the community of Ely knows that the financial burden is still vast and would take several more years to put this facility in place without the resources of the IRR.
The Ely Community and Youth Recreation Center Project will bring much more than a new building to Ely and its surrounding communities. This facility will increase community vitality through various events and activities.