The Community Center at Lake Chelan Benefits from American Rescue Plan Act Grant
Chelan County Board of Commissioners awards Seven Acres Foundation nearly $700,000
CHELAN, Washington (April 3, 2023) – The Seven Acres Foundation, developers of The Community Center at Lake Chelan, have been chosen to receive $699,300 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant Program. The determination by the Chelan County Board of Commissioners comes after a review of 54 applications totaling over $17 million in requests. Their decision, constrained by the $3 million made available by State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), will benefit the new center’s continuing construction and infrastructure needs. The new facility is expected to open in the Fall of 2023.
The funding objective for the ARPA program is “Caring for families by supporting funding for projects that are related to assisting our community’s most impacted households in the areas of housing, food, and necessities.” The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to the funding and construction of The Community Center at Lake Chelan that included delays in permitting, the reallocation of many sources of philanthropy, construction materials and labor cost increases.
“One of the priorities of the ARPA program is to use these federal dollars to help rebuild a stronger, more equitable economy as we continue to recover from COVID,” Commissioner Tiffany Gering said. “The new community center will do just that while also building community at Lake Chelan. When completed, the community center will promote healthy living and connect people with the resources they need. I’m proud that we were able to play a role in helping move this project forward by allocating ARPA funding to the Seven Acres Foundation.”
According to Raye Evans, Director of Private and Public Funding for Seven Acres Foundation, “These funds will allow the Seven Acres Foundation to support the community’s response to the pandemic by providing a facility that serves as a hub bringing people together, increasing access to social services, wellness and exercise, accessible events, study, and workspaces, and support for community events. We are happy to be receiving the funds this month (April 2023) and they will be used to fund the mechanical rough-in that is currently taking place.”
The Community Center at Lake Chelan will be a six-acre campus at 103 Big Horn Way between Chelan and Manson. Amenities and services within the 46,000 square-foot facilities will create space where families and individuals can connect with support resources and organizations. The pandemic made it abundantly clear that there is a critical need to access community resources and have spaces for personal and community connections.
The Community Center will include a full-size gym/auditorium, indoor children’s play area, meeting and event rooms, workspace center, coffee shop, commercial kitchen, and office spaces, which will be affordable and targeted to non-profits, start-ups, and local businesses. The campus includes outdoor courts, an event lawn, and a 25-yard multi-lane swimming pool that provides the opportunity for aquatic therapy, fitness, and swimming lessons in the safety of a pool.
To learn more about or donate directly to The Community Center at Lake Chelan, please visit www.ccatlakechelan.org or contact Raye Evans at raye@sevenacresfoundation.org.
For additional information on the American Rescue Plan Act, administered by the Chelan County Board of Commissioners, please visit their website at https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/board-of-commissioners/pages/american-rescue-plan-act