Summer updates from the VCC
Hello! How are you doing? We hope you are enjoying your summer so far.
A lot is happening behind the scenes at Valley Community Center. VCC is a transformative, volunteer driven initiative shaped by in-depth community engagement in the St. Croix Valley. Unlike existing facilities located near the Valley, VCC is conceived to be an inclusive, accessible hub for health, wellness, and connection.
VCC is unique because it is a community driven vision guided by a volunteer board and rooted in public input from more than 1,300 residents through surveys, public meetings and personal commitments, all voicing a strong desire for a centralized facility offering recreational, wellness, and social opportunities.
VCC is currently in preliminary conversation with local community organizations to align services, avoid duplication, and strengthen community ties through shared goals. This grassroots input ensures the facility and programming reflect genuine community priorities.
What work has been done to date?
A tremendous amount, including:
Testing of community needs through surveys, community meetings, and externally facilitated demographic and market analyses. For reference: our initial Feasibility Study by Ballard*King
Concept refinement through site visits of peer facilities and preliminary architectural work
Site analysis and preliminary testing/selection
More than 30 meetings with city council members, mayors, government officials, school district leaders, and county and state leaders to understand needs and maximize alignment with existing development priorities
Ongoing community engagement with a growing list of supporters
Organizational development, including board recruitment, preliminary staffing, and the integration of consultant expertise as appropriate
To accelerate this work, the VCC is actively raising funds to advance pre-development activities and beginning to set the stage for a significant capital campaign
Would you like to get involved? Please join our newsletter for updates. We will let you know next steps.
In planning for the next 18 months of development, the VCC will prioritize:
Finalizing a site location and securing site control
Formalizing our capital and operating partnerships with municipal and other governmental partners
Refining and advancing site and architectural design
Building organizational capacity to successfully complete a project of this nature
Preparing for and launching a major capital campaign to provide the necessary philanthropic funding
Thank you for being here on this journey with us!
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