Friday — February 27, 2004

Blaine County Recreation District moves to new offices

Community Campus falling into place

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"It’s really exciting to have a little more room. The whole idea, the whole Community Campus, is really inspiring."

— MARY AUSTIN CROFTS, Blaine County Recreation District executive director

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

The Blaine County Recreation District is slipping into a roomier office this week and should be open for business today.

On Wednesday morning, recreation district officials began moving out of the agency’s old, constricted Hailey Main Street office and trucking office furniture and furnishings to the old Wood River High School on Fox Acres Road.

Busting the dust, Blaine County Recreation District Executive Director Mary Austin Crofts cleans her new office at the old Wood River High School, now called Community Campus. Recreation District employees moved in on Wednesday. Express photos by Willy Cook

The old high school, now called Community Campus, is occupied jointly by the Recreation District, the Wood River High School’s Academies Program and by the College of Southern Idaho.

The Recreation District has moved into the building’s southeastern wing and has renovated portions of old classrooms into a youth activity center, to be called the HUB. It will open Friday, April 16, and will feature computers, movies, library, stage and a lounge.

For Recreation District officials, moving into the freshly painted, roomier offices was refreshing.

"It’s really exciting to have a little more room," said Recreation District Executive Director Mary Austin Crofts. "The whole idea, the whole Community Campus, is really inspiring."

Dave Kier moves some of his files into the new Recreation District offices. The room he is moving through is the new youth activity center, called the HUB.  Express photos by Willy Cook

Dave Kier, a Recreation District employee, said it is exciting to move into larger offices. For the past year, Kier has worked in a trailer behind the recreation district’s Main Street offices.

"Having more room will be nice, but we will miss Main Street," said Susie Wrentmore, Recreation District community services director.

In all, the recreation district is moving into about 4,400 square feet of office space. That includes the 2,500 square feet of HUB space.

"The Community Campus is going to be really good for the community," Wrentmore said.

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