ELY— Longstanding plans for a recreational and wellness center here took a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. But one of the side effects of shutdowns sparked by the initial arrival of the disease here in the North Country may have created the opportunity to resurrect that original dream.
The state Department of Revenue’s collections center in Ely was one of many workplaces around the state that sent workers home to do their jobs remotely. It proved popular with the state workers, who never came back to the 16,000 square-foot office space, now for sale, located on Miner’s Drive. The Ely City Council, on Tuesday, approved a purchase agreement under which it would facilitate the purchase of the building by the Ely Area Community Foundation, or EACF.
The nonprofit EACF hopes to convert the now vacant building to a recreation and wellness center, as well as a childcare center. “We’re still working out the details,” said EACF board chair Jeff Sundell, who hopes to have a deal and much more information about the group’s plans within a few weeks.
While the plan only recently came to light during a meeting of the Ely City Council, Sundell said the EACF has been conducting its due diligence and working to arrange other possible tenants for the site for months. Among the tenants they hope to have in place is a childcare provider, which could provide services for up to 40 kids. “It would be one of the main drivers for the facility,” said Sundell. “There is a great need for it,” he said. “Our largest employers, in particular, are really in need of daycare.”
Sundell said the initial phase of the project will include the renovations necessary to create a fitness and wellness center in addition to the childcare facility. “The idea behind it is a gathering place for health and wellness,” he added. As part of a second phase of the project, Sundell said the group hopes to add a pool, which would be housed in an addition to the building. The current site has sufficient room for that addition as well as needed parking, according to Sundell.
The EACF had been ready to move forward with a similar facility near the Ely hospital back in 2019. “We had a memo of understanding with the hospital and the YMCA, and then COVID hit and destroyed all that,” said Sundell.
The organization has had resources to continue to pursue the project thanks to a $5 million donation made several years earlier to support the concept. While those funds are still available to the EACF, Sundell said the current project will require additional fundraising to complete and that the group will be reaching out to government agencies and the public to bridge those funding gaps.
Sundell said the organization is wrapping up the pre-design phase to ensure that there is sufficient room for the project and to determine where the facility will need to be subdivided. The original space is mostly open, since the state employees worked from cubicles that have since been removed. It does have a conference room and a few other administrative offices. “We’re working through how extensive the renovations would need to be,” said Sundell.
Assuming the details are ironed out, the project would be a major accomplishment for the EACF which took on the task of developing the Ely Regional Community Complex after the agreement with the hospital fell apart.
Sundell, who had led that earlier effort, has continued to work on the idea, and now is hopeful that the concept will finally be able to move forward. “This project has been years in the making and I really think the community and the area will be very pleased with what it will bring to the area.”