History of

By the late 1990’s the idea for a local indoor hockey rink had been discussed for nearly 20 years, pursued, dropped, and all but forgotten. Then two things happened which provided new impetus for creating a place that could support a healthy community. First there was a community triumph with the opening of a new state-of-the-art high school following a five year public fundraising campaign to provide the best education for children in our area. Then there was a community tragedy as suicide claimed the lives of several young adults. These events inspired a small group of passionate and dedicated local families to create MRC.

 

How can a skating rink strengthen a community?

 

According to one of MRC’s founding fathers,

 

“The vision was of everyone at the rink, of fathers and mothers and single parents having a place to go with their kids, of games filled with crowds, of families having a safe and fun place to do things together. That was the flame that started the fire. Everything quickly evolved, the energy grew, a piece of land became available, tennis courts were added and the rest is history. The intention behind MRC was never to make money. The goal was always to provide the community with an opportunity to do things together which then leads to an even stronger community. To be able to go someplace and do something where you can feel good both about yourself and the place where you are - that was the driving vision behind the Midcoast Recreation Center. Positive attitude creates positive outcomes."

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From the day MRC opened its doors in 2001 the guiding mission has been centered on creating a positive environment for all members of our community. To make sure that MRC’s programs and facilities are accessible to everyone, MRC does not have general membership fees and makes reduced fees and program scholarships available to anyone in need. A healthy community is one in which everyone in the community is valued.