On Tuesday, March 30, the City of Rutland mayor, David Allaire, along with president and CEO of Heritage Family Credit Union Matt Levandowski, signed the closing documents associated with the city’s purchase of the athletic building on the former College of St. Joseph campus.
“Many of us have been working for years to come to the day where the City can celebrate the ownership of a facility as wonderful as this. Tuesday we closed on the Rutland Recreation Community Center,” said Mayor Allaire. “Thanks go to all who partnered in this journey including the rec. department, board of aldermen, Heritage Family Credit Union, and most importantly the voters and taxpayers of the City of Rutland. This facility will serve the community for decades for folks of all ages. This is a big win for the City and hopefully the beginning of great things to come for all of us.”
“All of us at Heritage Family Credit Union are very excited for the future of the Rutland Recreation Community Center,” said Levandowski. “We’ve worked tirelessly with Mayor Allaire, Kim Peters and city officials over the past two years to bring this new community center to fruition. It will be a tremendous resource for the greater Rutland community and one that will dovetail nicely with the proposed further development of the former College of St. Joseph campus. Heritage Family Credit Union looks forward to partnering with the City of Rutland, and especially the Rutland Recreation Community Center in the future.”
The facility has been named Rutland Recreation Community (RRCC).
Rutland Recreation and Parks moved into the athletic building in November 2019, after the announcement of the closing of CSJ. The staff quickly created a welcoming space for the community and surrounding areas by offering a space to walk, play basketball, lift weights, play racquetball, socialize, play pool, and stay active with cardio machines.
“It was important to me and my staff to create a safe space for the community, and we have accomplished this in such a short time,” said Recreation Superintendent Kim Peters.
In March 2020, the old community center closed down due to the pandemic, but re-opened as an essential care facility for over 50 children while the schools were also closed.
“We were so fortunate to have a large space for the kids to go while the schools shut down, our partnership with Mill River School District, Rutland City School District, and Rutland Regional Medical Center was crucial,” said Peters.
The community center slowly and safely re-opened to the public in the summer, and despite the pandemic, experienced an increase in activity.
In November 2020, the bond vote to purchase the building went to Rutland City voters and the vote passed.
Now, as of March 2021, the new RRCC has over 700 monthly members with an average of 150 people walking through the doors seven days a week.
“The future opportunities for the RRCC is exciting, and as guidelines continue to open from the pandemic, we will continue to offer new programs, events, and overall activity. We are also anxious to begin using the additional 20 acres for soccer, baseball, football, disk golf, and trails. Come by for a tour! We love to show off the facility,” said Peters.
