RP Lumber Center Dream Turns Into Reality
Date Posted: June 16, 2022
Posted In: News,
From The Edwardsville Intelligencer: While summer heat and humidity set another record high temperature outside Tuesday, it felt like a crisp autumn day in the seats at the new R.P. Lumber Center in Edwardsville.
City officials showed off the new ice rink, teen center, fitness facility and overall community center to those who donated money to its construction, sponsors who paid to have naming rights to various parts of the facility, for city employees and their families, and for elected officials from the villages of Hamel and Glen Carbon, which joined Edwardsville in supporting the facility, along with District 7, SIUE, the Junior Service Club and many others.
The doors opened at 6 p.m. and for 30 minutes, folks could wander about both levels of the building and check out the furnishings, the features and more. Some people quickly made themselves at home. Four young female figure skaters gave a mild ice exhibition to music played from the building’s sound system. As 6:30 p.m. approached, visitors were asked to gather in the hockey bleachers while specific officials made their way on to the ice to seats and a podium placed on red carpet runners.
Three speeches followed, remarks from Mayor Art Risavy, from area lumber magnate Robert Plummer and from former Mayor Hal Patton, whose passion for hockey in general and this project in particular, got the puck moving at least eight years ago.
Plummer stepped to the podium, his sense of humor intact.
“I appreciate everybody taking time out of their busy schedules to be here tonight. I look around and [while] this place is beautiful, I don’t see a lot of wood in here,” he quipped.
Plummer thanked multiple people, organizations and municipalities. He encouraged the crowd to patronize many of the local business supporters of the project, if they do not already.