Iowa Army National Guard
creates vision for future physical readiness
The Estherville Regional Wellness Center and Iowa Army National Guard Readiness Center were dedicated in a special joint ceremony on April 3, 2004. A dedication ceremony in the Readiness Center gymnasium was held at 10:00 A.M., followed by an open house of both facilities. As noted in the program, the event marked the official dedication of the first Iowa National Guard joint readiness center and community wellness center facility in the state of Iowa.
The program included music by the 34th Army Band and remarks by The Honorable Lyle Hevern, Mayor of Estherville; Mr. Bob Grems, Director of the Regional Wellness Center; and Captain Corey McCoid, Commander, Battery C, 1-194 FA. Special guest speakers included Maj. Gen. Ron Dardis, Adjutant General of Iowa; U.S. Representative Tom Latham; and Sally Pederson, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa. The dedication concluded with a presentation of the keys to the facility to the new owners by Joe Kobes, President of Frevert-Ramsey-Kobes Architects-Engineers, and Dean Christensen, Vice President of Christensen Construction.
The facilities represent a unique public partnership created to benefit the community of Estherville and the entire surrounding region. The Estherville Regional Wellness Center is a 40,000 square foot facility that is jointly supported by the Estherville Lincoln Central Community School District, the City of Estherville, and Emmet County. The facility received a $1 million grant from the State of Iowa through the Vision Iowa program, and over $2.6 million of matching donations were raised from private contributors. The Wellness Center includes a gymnasium, an elevated running track, spaces for aerobics and cardiovascular fitness machines, public meeting rooms, and a large public indoor pool, including a diving pool for teenagers and adults, two smaller pools for young children, and a twenty foot high water slide.
The Iowa Army National Guard Readiness Center is immediately adjacant to the Regional Wellness Center. While they are separate buildings, they share several connections and spaces that will enable all parties, and the community as a whole, to benefit from the sharing of resources. The new 33,000 square foot Readiness Center includes a gymnasium / assembly hall, offices, classrooms, a rifle range, and a motor vehicle storage and maintenance area.
The third component of the community facility is now preparing to begin
design: a 400-seat auditorium and fine arts center owned by Iowa Lakes Community
College, which will anchor the south end of the complex. Once complete, the
combination wellness, fine arts, and readiness complex will represent one of the
best examples in the state of Iowa of how a community can truly benefit by
creating partnerships between different governmental entities and their
citizens.