BOISE, Idaho — Idaho veterans and adaptive athletes of all abilities will soon have a place along the Boise River to train, connect with resources, and support each other as they pursue athletic and personal goals.
Gov. Brad Little and Boise Mayor Lauren McLean on Thursday joined representatives of Mission43, Challenged Athletes Foundation-Idaho, the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, and local build and design teams to celebrate groundbreaking for the Idaho Outdoor Fieldhouse.
The site of the future fieldhouse is on 6.79 acres near Barber Valley Drive along the Greenbelt in southeast Boise. The 46-thousand square-foot facility will serve as headquarters for Challenged Athletes Foundation-Idaho and Mission43, a veterans organization the Albertson foundation launched in 2016.
"The foundation has done more than just change lives of the adaptive athlete and military veteran community of Idaho. They've quite certainly saved lives, including my own" said Dan Nelson, engagement director for Mission43. "What's going to happen here... at the Idaho Outdoor Fieldhouse -- the pride of that belongs to the entire community. It belongs to the city of Boise, the state of Idaho, and our entire great nation."
At the groundbreaking, Gov. Little said the fieldhouse is "going to be an incredible asset that we're all going to be proud of."
The fieldhouse will be home to an elite training campus that will include such features as an aquatic center, gym, performance fitness areas and climbing wall. The campus also will house wellness resources, and spaces to support adaptive athletes, veterans, military servicemembers and their families. Programs will include job training and entrepeneurship courses to help people looking to embark on a new career after leaving the military.
"The individuals benefiting from the Fieldhouse will range from 2-year-olds born with congenital limb deficiencies to Paralympians to military members who need help seeing a path forward after their time in the service," said "One Arm" Willie Stewart, CAF Ambassador.
Opening of the Idaho Outdoor Fieldhouse is expected in the summer of 2023.
Idaho Outdoor Fieldhouse - artist's renderings
Watch more 'Growing Idaho':
See the latest growth and development news in our YouTube playlist: