Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Held for Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center

For Immediate Release: Saturday, October 22, 2016

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, County Council members and other officials joined residents to celebrate the ribbon cutting for the new Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center. The facility is located at 13850 Travilah Road.

Joining Leggett at the ceremony were: Council President Nancy Floreen; Councilmembers Marc Elrich, Sidney Katz, George Leventhal, Craig Rice, and Hans Riemer; Maryland State Senator Brian J. Feldman; Maryland State Delegate David V. Fraser-Hidalgo; Department of Recreation Director Gabe Albornoz and Department of General Services Director David Dise.

Special remarks were made by the late Nancy Dacek’s husband Raymond Dacek and their daughter Kim Dacek Barnes.

“I am pleased to celebrate the opening of the Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center,” said Leggett. Nancy and I served together on County Council for many years. She was a respected colleague who did her homework and researched issues. I am proud to honor her memory by naming this great community-asset for her.

“In the past ten years despite difficult economic conditions, we have opened 49 new County facilities, more than in the 12 years before I took office when the economy was booming. This will mark the ninth recreation facility project that has been built or renovated in the past nine years.”

The facility is named in honor of the late Nancy H. Dacek who served for 12 years as a member of the County Council from 1990 until 2002. Following her service to the Council she served for more than a decade on the Montgomery County Board of Elections appointed by Governors Bob Ehrlich and Martin O’Malley.

While on the Council, Dacek advocated effectively for education, public safety, preservation of open space, and the environment. Among other efforts, she offered her steadfast support that a Community Recreation Center be included in the area master plan for North Potomac. Dacek died in 2015.

“My family is honored to have such a beautiful facility named after my mother,” said Kim Dacek Barnes. “My mother was a big supporter of the recreation and valued and appreciated sports and physical activity.”

“Community Recreation Centers are important and this beautiful new facility will provide opportunities for residents to have fun, exercise and enjoy social activities and events,” said Floreen. “It is fitting to have this Center named to honor a former Councilmember who worked hard for this community.”

This 48,000-square-foot facility features an expansive full-sized gymnasium, auxiliary gym, rock climbing wall, exercise and weight room, spacious social hall, commercial kitchen, multi-use community room, arts/kiln room, game room, meeting rooms, offices and more.

The 11-acre site provides a new organic multipurpose turf field, playground, bus stop at the facility, two outdoor multi-purpose courts, preserved wetlands and parking spaces for up to 185 vehicles along with six accessible spaces.

The building is built with renewable, local and recycled materials to achieve a minimum LEED Silver certification. It uses energy-efficient heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, lighting and plumbing fixtures. The roof is a 50% vegetative green roof.

The cost of the center was approximately $19 million project. Grimm and Parker served as architect. The construction was done by Dustin Construction, Inc.

Programing at the new center will include out-of-school youth activities, sports leagues, weight room memberships, special events and community activities.

The center will also include the North Potomac Senior Center, a full-service senior center with a wide-range of programs and services for adults 55 and older.                                

For more information, call 240-773-4800

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Release ID: 16-439
Media Contact: Judy Stiles 240-777-6536