ICCU Field House, an ‘investment’ in community, is open

POCATELLO – A building expansion half a decade in the making is now open.

Community leaders and officials with the Mountain View Event Center and Idaho Central Credit Union joined together Tuesday evening to cut the ribbon and commemorate the official opening of the ICCU Field House. This building expansion brings the MEC to a total of 78,000 square feet, and it will allow it to host games like baseball, lacrosse, soccer and more.

“It’s pretty crazy to think that this used to just be a big parking lot, and to be able to get everything that we got out of this land and the design and how it all tied the whole campus together – it’s really pretty special,” said Shelton Robinson, the director of operations of the MEC.

According to Robinson, the idea for a building expansion started around five to six years ago, as administrators saw how busy the facility had become. Then entered ICCU, which Robinson said “accelerated” the process of making a building expansion a reality.

“This is an investment in connecting us with our kids and families together, and all of those local programs and building relationships. And that’s really what we care deeply about at ICCU,” said Brenda Worrell, CFO of Idaho Central Credit Union. “And we’re very proud to be a part of this project and appreciate everyone that’s had a part of making this happen.”

The entire building expansion is approximately 28,000 square feet, with three different multi-purpose turf fields, as well as space for spectators to sit.

Thanks to the way the expansion was designed, people can walk in between the MEC and Field House with ease. Although ICCU holds naming rights for the field house, booking for both buildings can be done on the ICCU website, making it one connected complex.

During the week, the ICCU Field House will be available for local entities, such as schools, clubs or teams to rent, for sports like soccer, softball, baseball, lacrosse and football, with the potential to support sports camps and clinics as well as practices.

And the field house will also have open hours during the week, similar to the MEC’s open hours for basketball and pickleball. People who want to use this open playing time can check the complex’s calendar to see if it’s scheduled for the day they want to play.

And on the weekends, the MEC plans to hold tournaments. Robinson told EastIdahoNews.com that they’ll likely start by organizing soccer tournaments, with five person teams. Information about these tournaments will also be posted on its calendar.

Robert Raschke, president of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Auditorium District, which oversees the MEC, sees the field house as something that’s especially important in the modern day.

“Facilities like this are just great for kids, because it keeps them active and engaged in doing things that keep them off of technology, teaches them some life skills that maybe they’re not learning elsewhere, makes them tired at the end of the day,” Raschke said. “We’re just incredibly grateful and super happy that this is something that Pocatello and Chubbuck (have) right now.”