The Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center, or the LBC, has become central in the Mount Vernon community. Opening late February 2020, the roughly $8 million facility has transformed how residents access recreation.
The 33,000-square-foot facility, located at 855 Palisades Rd. SW, features a fitness gym, climbing wall, indoor track, basketball courts and a turf room. With 24/7 access for members 18 and older, it draws consistent use from both members and non-members.
According to City Administrator Chris Nosbisch, the process before the LBC opened its doors was over 30 years in the making. In fact, community members had long pushed for an indoor recreation space to serve Mount Vernon and Lisbon. Prior to the LBC, residents often traveled 15 to 20 miles to Cedar Rapids or Iowa City.
The final project cost was about $8.2 million, serviced from a $500,000 donation from the Hall-Perrine Foundation in Cedar Rapids, followed by a $1 million donation from Ernie Buresh in honor of his brother, Lester Buresh.
“Without the donations, it would have been a much smaller version of what you see today,” Nosbisch said.
Although the donations were a huge contribution to funding the LBC, Nosbisch said the city planned and decided to set aside $5 million in tax increment financing dollars — funding a project with future property tax revenue increases — to cover the remaining cost.
However, the construction funds for the LBC don’t cover the costs of operating a facility of its size.
“The biggest financial challenge is the cost to do business day to day,” Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation Director Matt Siders said via email.
According to Siders, the facility costs about $600,000 annually to operate, while generating roughly $520,000 in revenue. Siders said membership is the main source of revenue at about 66%, with the rest coming from other programs and events.
That leaves an annual gap of $80,000 — one that the city covers using local option sales tax funds, which are voter-approved funds used to finance and repay projects. The sales tax support is set to expire in 2034.
“For us, as a community, we are just simply trying to break even,” Nosbisch said.
Nosbisch said this is not unusual, noting these facilities are often subsidized. Still, maintaining the facility comes with ongoing costs.
At the same time, users expect updated equipment and high-quality services. One of the more consistent expenses is the facility’s 22 cardio machines, which operate on a three-year lease cycle.
Each time the lease expires, which happens next in August 2026, the city replaces the equipment, so far creating a recurring annual cost of $30,000 that must be built into the annual operating budget.
Despite challenges, city leaders and community members largely agree the investment has paid off.
“I didn’t realize how important this would be to the community when they were talking about building this,” long-time Mount Vernon resident and LBC member David Osterberg said. “It certainly is.”
Osterberg uses the gym facility himself almost every morning to stay active. Beyond catering to gym members, though, the facility draws in a large crowd of attendees to its events, including listeners during its Thursday speaker series.
The speaker series — a free, volunteer-run seasonal program — features speakers from a range of fields on Thursday afternoons.
Osterberg, whose wife is one of three volunteers who run the program, said the speaker series functions as part of a broader effort to make the LBC a fully utilized community space.
John Bardsley, a Lisbon resident and City Council member, attends almost all speaker events offered by the LBC.
“I go to most all of them,” Bardsley said. “I find them all interesting.”
According to Bardsley and Osterberg, previous speakers included University of Iowa experts on science and health, as well as local organizations like the Mount Vernon Fire Department, businesses and gardeners.
Siders adds that the facility has held hundreds of programs for residents of all ages since it has been open, including group fitness classes, youth and adult programs, leagues, and tournaments, club sport practices, post proms, and even wedding receptions.
“Something that communities spend a lot of money on is everybody using it,” Osterberg said.
The LBC also plays a significant role in supporting local schools.
Mount Vernon High School Activities Director Matt Thede said the facility helps relieve a major space shortage.
“It’s taken a huge relief off of us,” Thede said.
Through a city partnership, school teams regularly use the facility for practices, allowing for more regular practice times. Thede emphasized that without the LBC, students would likely face longer days, leaving less time for academics and family.
“I know how [students] interact when they have a late night on the road… they show up the next day, and their eyes are puffed. You know, they’re groggy,” Thede said.
This program works both ways. According to Thede, youth activity programs run through the LBC will often hold practices and sessions in school facilities, providing effective community exchange that gives more space for more activity.