The Ivanhoe Civic League is engaged in development of a new community center on the grounds of its 14.5-acre Jubilee Park, which is bounded on its east by the New River and on its west by the New River Trail. The Community Center project is made possible thanks to a partnership with Citizens Telephone Cooperative of Floyd, Virginia. Citizens provides internet connectivity to the park, which has the county line between Wythe and Carroll counties within the park. Working together the Civic League and Citizens Cooperative successfully applied for a Community Connect grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service. Following the devastation inflicted on this community park during the 2024 flooding created by Hurricane Helene, the park sought help to bring the nearly 40-year-old park back to life. The 2 nd worst flood in recorded history swept away the park’s performance stage, horse show ring, several buildings and shelters and left nearly 4 feet of sand on more than a 3 rd of the park land. Large Sycamore trees along the river were swept away, along with three new playgrounds in the park that had been installed only weeks before the flooding. The partners with the Civic League and Citizens Cooperative decided to enlarge and finish a building that had not been impacted by the flooding, to create a new community center that would be on higher ground than any of the historic floods in the area. Fortunately, the federal government has a program to help communities develop the capacity to provide WIFI and lap top computers for community members who lack those resources. The $150,000 Community Connect grant will not only accomplish this connectivity, but it will provide space for community programs that can positively help the community. The building will provide about 1,800 square feet of space that will include restrooms, a kitchen and program space that can accommodate up to 200 theater style, 100 classroom style, 115 seated dining and up to 200 for standing room events. The interior will be fully insulated and have commercial grade flooring, pine tongue and groove walls, drop ceiling and split unit heating and air. EZR Construction was selected to be the General Contractor on the project, which is expected
to be completed before Labor Day weekend.