Sandpoint Centre
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Sandpoint Centre
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Available Activities: Our goal is to service residents of the Pend Oreille Recreation District with year-round recreational opportunities currently unavailable in our area. Our focus is on all members of our community. 3.1 Service Description Youth after-school: One of the most dangerous periods for children is the period between schools dismissal and the arrival of parents from their employment. Our economy necessitates that in most families, both parents work. In addition, there are many single parent families. This after-school time period where drug experimentation, teen pregnancy, and dangerous or delinquent behavior often occurs must this must be addressed. The Recreation Center will fill this void by offering after-school swimming and skating activities. The meeting rooms will be available for non-strenuous activities such as ping-pong, pool, chess, checkers, cards, and board games. Some children may elect to work on homework or to study. These activities will be safe, supervised and fun. Transportation grants for our region exist (going unclaimed in 2005) and will be utilized to move children from schools and hopefully to drop-off points in the community. Parents will be able to retrieve their children after work from the Recreation Facility or from these drop-off points. The entire Pool, Meeting room, and Ice skating facility will be available for after-school activities (Monday-Friday during the School year) for all children. Resident children will be able to utilize this facility for free or for a very minimal charge ($ 1.00 dollar). Exceptions for even this minimal charge will be generously rewarded as our goal is to not exclude any resident child. Non-resident children will be charged at a slightly higher rate (perhaps $ 3.00 dollars). Nothing is more worthy of our tax dollars than providing for this program and keeping the price low 3.2.1 Swimming Pool Facility 1. 8-Lane Swimming Pool: The swimming pool will allow many opportunities for local residents. Both adults and children can partake in swimming for both exercise and in competitions. By allowing more access to this sport through the community pool, more youth will be exposed to the sport and thus life-long relationships can develop. Multiple swimming teams, which can compete both locally (with teams from SWAC) and regionally, will encourage an increased interest in the community and lead to an overall increase in the number of swimmers. 2. Current Pool: The current pool will provide both the potential for exercise and for fun. Children will love frolicking in the water while others use the pool to warm-up before competitions. Exercise classes, especially for seniors, will be enjoyable and effective in the current pool. Simply walking against the current can provide much needed exercise in a neutrally buoyant environment. 3. Water-Park: One of the most exciting aspects of the entire Pool facility will be the water-park. A combination of shallow water, toys, water-guns, and slides will entertain toddlers and young adults for hours. As an introduction to swimming and as pure exhausting entertainment, the water-park will be difficult to beat. The affordable price for local residents will allow all children access but will not restrict visitors (at a higher fee). 4. Hot Water Spa: An adjunct to any pool facility, the hot-water spa will allow ‘warming-up’ youthful swimmers, as well as a sanctuary for tired adults. Because the lap-pool will be at a cooler temperature than the other pools, the hot-water spa will be welcomed by many who swim and play in the lap-pool. Closure: The Pool facility will be tentatively closed during July and August for repairs and maintenance and due to the fact that Lake Pend Oreille and other activities will dominate family activities during this period. 3.2.2. Meeting Rooms 5. Meeting Rooms: One of the most frequently requested amenities by local residents for the Recreation Center was a large meeting room. We have proposed a large meeting room that is dividable into 3-4 smaller rooms by a sound-proof curtains. We also include a kitchen for catering (not preparing) food for events within the room(s). Since the ‘after-school’ time period is one major focus of this facility, we will dedicate space in these rooms for children during this time. Non-video / T.V. activities such as ping-pong, pool, card games, board games, checkers, and chess will be available for youth and adults. We are proposing a program, known as the ‘Dream-catcher Program” for regular meetings within these rooms. This program is a proven success for identifying and assisting ‘children at risk’ within the community. Grants and funding of this program are available. The hope is that children as risk, due to problems within their family related to alcohol, drugs, abuse, or other factors, can be identified and reached by program staff. This problem exists throughout our country and is tremendously prevalent in our community. These kids, as well as their parents, can be and should be helped by programs such as this. Of all the activities which will take place in the meeting rooms, this is by far the most important. The meeting rooms will also be available for families and small children during the day, community groups such as church groups, sports groups, senior groups, rotary clubs, and any other organization which so desires a meeting place. In addition, conferences or meetings utilizing the floor space of the Ice Arena during the off-ice months, may also desire these rooms. 6. Party Rooms: Small rooms located just off the Pool and/or Ice Arena are designed for youth birthday parties or other small events. In other facilities, these rooms are heavily utilized and provide entertaining options for community members. Closure; The meeting rooms will remain open year-round.
3.2.3 Ice Arena 7. Family Skating: Currently, winter-time family recreational activities are limited in our area. The ski resort is an excellent opportunity for community members; however, the cost of equipment and passes excludes many residents. The Ice Arena will offer prime-time family skating and, as a non-profit venture, it will allow prices to be kept very low. For tourists visiting our town, it will allow family recreation (at higher non-resident prices) even when ski conditions are poor. This will be the cornerstone of our facility and will always remain a primary priority. 8. Figure Skating: There are many figure skaters in our area who are eager for ice-time to enjoy their sport. There are also instructors waiting for the chance to begin classes. Certainly community involvement in ice shows and figure skating contests will develop. Professional skating shows will be encouraged to visit our ice arena. We also hope to hold a Winter Olympics in conjunction with Sandpoint's Winter Carnival on an annual basis. Figure skating and limited speed skating will be unique activities offered at the Recreation Center. 9. Youth Hockey: A mainstay at many rinks in North America is the youth hockey program. Both boys and girls throughout the United States and Canada are increasingly intrigued by the sport of hockey. Hockey is a life sport with ‘over-60’ and even ‘over-70’ years age-group leagues. There is no faster or more enjoyable winter-time team sport than hockey. Due to our communities strong involvement with soccer (a very similar sport) we are extremely confident that we can bring these kids into the sport of hockey. Currently many children play in hockey leagues in Spokane. The Ice Arena will offer youth hockey leagues and will strive to keep the sport and the equipment affordable. The structure of league play is already in place as is insurance coverage for the players (through USA Hockey). There is no question that, if ice-time is kept affordable, the hockey leagues will prosper. This will be a unique opportunity for our community’s youth. 10. Adult Hockey: As there are currently three Sandpoint adult hockey teams playing in Spokane, there is little doubt that the need exists for a local ice rink. We believe that 8 teams can immediately be formed. The adult hockey group is important as they often use the later ice times which can be otherwise under-utilized. 11. Junior Hockey: The Sandpoint Centre Corporation has recently been contacted by a junior hockey league manager who is extremely interested in placing a junior -B hockey team in Sandpoint. This league is a stepping stone for kids who aspire to play Junior-A and professional hockey. We have not included this potential financial surplus into our budget or into this business plan, but it is interesting to note the potential. The team would be playing regional teams (Seattle, Portland, Missoula, etc...) and would play home games on Friday and Saturday nights. The leagues research indicates that our community would provide an immediate draw for these games and thus they are committed to our progress. 12. Walking Track: An indoor walking track will surround the Ice Arena and allow ice-free and snow-free access to walking or jogging. Snow and ice bound individuals, especially seniors, will be able to regularly exercise without the fears of falling or injuring ankles or knees on traitorous surfaces. Additionally, the track speeds crowd exits after concerts, hockey games, or other crowded events. This will be available for all residents free of charge. Closure: The Ice Arena will remain open year-round but will only have ice during the period from October to March. It is probable that hockey and figure skating schools may occur during a short time period (2 weeks) during the summer, otherwise the summer use programs will predominate. 13. Summer Use - Ice Arena: Roller skating, roller hockey, skate boarding, and indoor soccer are only a few of the intended summer uses of the ice rink once the ice is gone (April-September). The surface of the ice rink can seat an additional 1500 people (not counting the 1200 seats) for a concert (Festival at Sandpoint) or entertain large events such as conventions, car shows (Lost in the 50’s), trade shows (Arts and Crafts Fair, Guns and Horn Show), dances, parties, and other special events such as Church gatherings, graduations, and community meetings. Currently, our community has nowhere for large numbers of people to gather. This facility will provide a uniting force for our community throughout the year.
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