ORR – The Orr School could once more become this small town’s centerpiece, pumping dollars into the local economy and serving as a hub for community activities.

That’s the goal of the Orr Resource and Recreation (ORR) Center, which envisions a center with a four-lane bowling alley, a youth camp complete with bunkhouses, a fish and vegetable garden, and much more.

“We plan to use every square inch of this place,” said Wendy Purdy, president of the ORR Center Board. “We’re even talking about putting a garden on the school roof.”

Rescuing the school

On a split vote, the St. Louis County School Board shuttered the Orr School at the end of the 2010-11 school. The school’s closure proved to be controversial because the action took place before the completion of the North Woods School, designed to accommodate students from the Cook and Orr attendance areas.

The City of Orr purchased the school from the St. Louis County School District after the district was on the verge of selling the school to WEP Inc. for $7,000. Because the city had the first right of refusal on the building’s sale, it was allowed to submit a counteroffer. The city agreed to offer $1 more than WEP for a total price of $7,001.

In 2014, the nonprofit ORR Center offered to buy the school from the city on a contract for deed for $15,000. The group completed the purchase in September 2015 after receiving a $15,000 donation from Tom and Katie Johnson of Midstate Reclamation and Trucking LLC.

Since then, the ORR Center has landed several grants to help cover the costs of replacing an antiquated heating system and repairing damage to the school, some of which occurred after the heat was shut off and roof leaks went unrepaired.

It secured $100,000 for the purchase of four new Garn gasification boilers. The boilers, which are smoke-free and burn traditional cordwood, will heat the building and provide hot water.

The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board awarded a $90,000 grant for the boilers, which was supplemented by a $10,000 donation from Richard and Kim Brown of JNBA Financial Advisors.

Seppi Brothers donated concrete for the new furnace building and KGM Contractors donated gravel and prepped the site for the structure. Volunteers helped pour the concrete for the building’s slab. Purdy expects the new furnaces to be installed and come on line next spring.

Other donations include a $31,500 grant from the IRRRB for lead paint and asbestos removal, which is being performed by Mavo Systems and Environmental and Specialty Contracting Services, a brand new playground set donated by the Kaiser family, shelving, art supplies and more from the Aurora Drug and Variety Store after it closed, and a $2,000 SEED (Sustainable Energy and Economic Development) grant from the Clean Energy Resource Teams to install LED exit signs and exterior security lighting at the center.

In addition, hundreds of man-hours have been volunteered to clean, repair and remodel the school and fundraisers — from a spaghetti dinner to burgers sold during Orr’s annual Fun day celebration in July — have generated additional dollars for the project.

Ambitious plans

for the center

As Purdy provided a short tour of the school, she outlined the center’s vision for the building.

The former main gym will become a family fun center, with a four-lane bowling alley in the center and second-floor sections that will house an arcade center and laser-tag site. Plans also call for a rock-climbing wall.

The smaller gym will be preserved as a gym and used for a variety of exercise classes, games and more. The gym can also serve as a cafeteria with easy access to the kitchen, and the stage will be used for community plays and other events.

“We’d like to bring back the Pine Town Players,” a community theater group that disbanded about a half-dozen years ago, Purdy said.

Other rooms will be converted into a library, a conference room, an art studio, a whole foods store and small movie theater.

Two of the most ambitious projects include a summer youth program operating out of the center and an aquaponics operation that combines fish and vegetable farming.

Purdy said the former art room, which features a southern exposure, will house the first set of 50-foot pods, where tilapia will be raised. Waste from the fish will be channeled to garden beds where a variety of vegetables can be grown.

“We’ll have fresh vegetables all year,” said Purdy. “We could have tomatoes on the vine in February.”

As the operation expands, Purdy said the center might have to construct a building addition to house more pods.

Meanwhile, the plan for a summer camp for boys and girls ages 7 to 14 is also on the drawing board.

Some of the classrooms that have water access will be converted into bunkhouses for the campers. Although there will be activities for campers in the school and on the school grounds, including paint ball, a zip line and a ball field, Purdy said they also plan to use the city beach and nearby woods and trails for activities such as hiking, biking and skiing.

“We’ll have bikes and skis and other equipment at the center,” she said. The equipment will also be available for community members to use for a small stipend.

“We want Orr to be the first sustainability-focused summer camp available for kids,” said Purdy, noting the camp will demonstrate the importance of taking care of the environment and sustainable projects such as creating your own garden.

“The camp will also offer the best in north woods living, including archery, outdoor biking, boating, fishing, skiing, canoeing and kayaking,” Purdy added. “Campers will visit shooting ranges, rock climb, attend survival skill classes and more.”

Educational

component

The center will also feature an educational component, offering a variety of seminars on topics ranging from healthy lifestyles to pottery. Other topics include cooking, gardening and life skills.

Plans include a learning center for adults and youth to assist them with homework and other educational programs.

“There are a number of people who approached us about teaching classes for a week,” said Purdy. “A lot of retired teachers have homes or cabins here and you can only fish so many days before you’re looking for something else to do.”

Purdy said the center is also establishing contacts and developing partnerships to help the center realize its vision. She noted they are partnering with the Hibbing Cadets, who could help provide security at the center as part of their training, and she also talked about potential programs that might be provided by the Hibbing Community College.

Meanwhile, Purdy will start being on site at the school after Jan. 1 to help organize volunteers on different projects. “Our plan is to set up committees for each project, so they can focus their attention on that segment,” she explained.

Her office hours, in the former library, will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.

Purdy and other board members are also working on holding the first-ever Sustainability Fair at the school in August. She hopes to attract 150 vendors from across the region and as many as 5,000 people to Orr.

“It would be a nice boost for the local economy right before the summer season ends,” she added.

Purdy readily acknowledges the mammoth task of converting the school into the center of the board’s dreams, but said the support from the surrounding community has been overwhelming.

“This is my passion,” she said. And judging by the volunteers and donations flowing to the center, others share that enthusiasm.