Loebsack Visits MCRF Facility
MCRF Director Sherry Vavra (left) and Congressman Dave Loebsack (right) inspect the Lacey Complex Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Congressman Dave Loebsack was back in town this past week, this time visiting with the staff from MCRF [Mahaska County Recreation Foundation], to find out more about the nonprofit.
MCRF Executive Director Sherry Vavra and Facilities Manager Chad Rietveld spent nearly an hour with Loebsack, where they highlighted the many amenities of the complex, and how it has grown over the past decade.
MCRF is funded primarily through private donations, but also has received state grants and some hotel-motel tax money.
During his many visits to Oskaloosa Loebsack said he had been by the complex before, but he wanted to know what inspired the complex, and what amenities were available to the community. “Like so many things in Oskaloosa, and other communities in my district, the community spirit is what’s pretty evident to me here with all the contributions that have come into this.”
“They are doing great things,” added Loebsack of MCRF. “They are going to do even greater things.”
When it comes to a public recreation facility, Loebsack said, “I think Oskaloosa’s pretty far ahead of the game when it comes to that here in Iowa. It’s very impressive what they have done.”
“A lot of this goes to the issue of livability. Communities around Iowa and around the country understand more and more that if they are going to attract people to their communities, if they are going to attract businesses and good workers, and all that, it’s got to be a livable community. This is a big part of that.”
“MCRF is a state of the art facility that we’re very proud of,” said Vavra. “We’re happy to show it to anyone.”
When giving a tour and talking about the history of the facility, Vavra says it’s a reminder of how much the complex has grown over the years because of the people. “When I think about where we were ten years ago and where we are now, that’s what I find amazing.”
