On the Boards: Lesar Mountain Center for DREAM Adaptive Recreation

A new headquarters and operations center for an adaptive recreation nonprofit is on its way to being built at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Big Mountain. DREAM Adaptive Recreation was founded in 1985 and provides year-round adaptive recreation opportunities that include fishing, skiing, and biking. They currently operate out of a small, impermanent structure that lacks running water, but with the generosity of the Lesar family and a planned capital campaign, the organization’s new facility will greatly expand their ability to carry out their mission.

Cushing Terrell’s design for the project consists of a three-story, 14,000 sq. ft. facility that can accommodate up to 10 wheelchair users at a time and will house an office, kitchen, gathering space, day lockers, staff lockers and breakroom, non-gendered accessible restrooms, two sensory rooms, a tech shop, and additional storage space for summer and winter gear and equipment. Cushing Terrell has donated the fee for the conceptual design phase, and the multidisciplinary team is working with the client to find further options to help support what will be come an incredible community resource.

Another donor, Whitefish Mountain Resort, has gifted a small lot in the East Village development near Chair 9 to create the ideal location for the center’s year-round activities.

“Whitefish Mountain has been a great partner in the process, including accommodations to re-grade nearby ski terrain to create more beginner-friendly downhill runs,” said Eric Haffeman, a Cushing Terrell architect working on the project. He says an initial part of the challenge has been designing for a site that offers beautiful views but logistical challenges, including a steep access road and a minimal amount of flat land.

He added that DREAM Adaptive Recreation is collaborating at every step of the design process as the Cushing Terrell team learns about the needs of the adaptive recreation community with plans for a Q&A event with user groups in the near future.

“ADA accessibility has been the battle cry of the project — we didn’t want to just meet ADA requirements, we wanted to exceed them and anticipate any potential issues a user could come across,” Haffeman said. “We’re trying to create as much open space as possible and offer flexible uses.”