Our Future Home.

Our Future Home.

  • The new Dylan Jude Harrell Community Center will include:

    • A full size gymnasium

    • Licensed childcare space for Infant and Toddlers

    • Space for Elementary/After School/Summer Programs

    • Outdoor Playground

    • Outdoor Community Space

    • Future phases include an indoor swimming pool, and indoor field house

    Located at the Port of Ilwaco, the center will be a space for youth, families, and community alike to gather, recreate, and learn.

    • Our programs will bring new families and faces to Ilwaco on a daily basis. This will drastically increase foot traffic to the Port of Ilwaco, providing an increase in business in Ilwaco.

    • Tournaments will bring families from out of town to our community. When they are here, they need to eat meals and often participate in recreation outside of the tournament. Based on similar communities and tournaments, we estimate that just two basketball tournament weekends a year will bring nearly $500,000 to our local economy.

    • In addition, our business is not exempt from B&O taxes or Leasehold Excise tax. We have created 11 full-time jobs in the past two years, and the construction of this facility will create an additional 5 full-time positions in our community.

  • The Port of Ilwaco was chosen intentionally as a location for this project. The land lease agreement with the Port of Ilwaco was fully executed in February of 2022.

    • Families are increasingly moving toward the south end of the Peninsula, which makes this a convenient spot for programs. In addition, 2 of 4 schools in Ocean Beach School District are in Ilwaco.

    • The Port of Ilwaco is central enough to draw Naselle, Astoria, Warrenton, and Seaside populations to our side of the river for events and activities.

    • The Port of Ilwaco’s Master Plan includes a Community Center project.

    • The space at the Port of Ilwaco is located within walking distance to the Tsunami Evacuation Zone. Bus transportation will most likely not be possible in the event of an earthquake here, so being able to have kids walk up the hill to safety in under 5 minutes is vital to safety.

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FAQs

Where is the new center located?

We have a land lease with the Port of Ilwaco for the grass field between Advent and Pearl just north of the port parking lot. This lease was executed after multiple public meetings where we discussed the economic and social benefits of a facility like this with the Port. The Port of Ilwaco Master Plan and the City of Ilwaco Comprehensive Plans allude to this type of community facility. The official address assigned to our property is 310 Pearl Ave SE, Ilwaco.

Is this in a Tsunami Zone?

We were very intentional in our decision to find a location that provides safety or easy access to safety. The location at the Port of Ilwaco is within a short walking distance of the official Tsunami Evacuation site at Hilltop School, one of the safest places to be in the event of a Tsunami.

Will it be open to the public?

Certain parts of the facility will be closed to the public, as they will serve licensed childcare. We will provide some public programming, and as additional phases are built, there will be public-use options. Our programming and families will be the main priority, but we know a facility like this will be an incredible public asset.

Who will fund the operations of this facility?

Operations for the facility will be funded through a combination of fundraising, fees for usage and rentals, and grants. This project will not be pursuing local tax dollars. Many youth and community non-profits operate in this model successfully, and we are following the lead of similar organizations. Our leadership has vast experience in non-profit management and running successful businesses. We know that grants and local fundraising will ALWAYS be part of the operational budget, as that is the reality for community non-profits.

Is this a childcare facility?

A portion of the education building will be a licensed childcare facility. The remainder of the facility will serve youth, families, and the community at large. There is a considerable childcare gap in our community, and we hope to utilize some of our facilities to meet that pressing need. The childcare portion of the facility will be able to accommodate over ~30 kids and will accept State childcare subsidy.

What are the next steps?

On January 2, 2024, the Hearing Examiner for the City of Ilwaco approved our Site Use Permit with conditions. We completed those conditions and were issued a building permit. On February 26, 2025, we officially broke ground. We anticipate opening the education building in the fall of 2025!