Days of Oar

Vero Beach Rowing’s Boathouse Is a Good Neighbor and a Community Asset

By Ann Taylor

IT’S BEEN OVER A YEAR and a half since members and supporters of Vero Beach Rowing celebrated the opening of the community boathouse overlooking the water basin in MacWilliam Park.

Designed by architect Staffan Lundberg and built by Proctor Construction, the two-story, 14,736square-foot structure became a reality thanks to a core group of rowers who envisioned having a home base where they could store their boats and rowing equipment, offer programs, and share the health benefits and joy the sport has given them.

They formed a nonprofit organization, set up temporary headquarters in an 8-by-10-foot shed under the Alma Lee Loy Bridge, and began offering programs. When they spied a 1.66-acre site adjacent to the Volunteer Ambulance Squad building and across from the Vero Beach Dog Park, they met with officials at city hall and walked away with a 25-year lease agreement. Then came the hard part — raising the $2.5 million needed to raise the walls. They didn’t flinch.

The easy part was selecting Lundberg, a local architect who had designed projects for other nonprofit organizations. His marching orders were clear. “The rowing board had established an architectural committee that developed a program for the first and second floors, which I followed up with,” says Lundberg, who became involved early on when, pro bono, he designed an elevation plan. His subsequent architectural renderings and formal proposal were spot-on and he got the nod.

Form follows function throughout the building. The bottom level is an open storage space for boats, racks and rowing equipment; four large bay doors lift up to facilitate boat launchings.

The second level, reached by stairs or elevator, features a great room used for teaching, exercising and classes on CPR and first aid, along with staff offices, a conference room, restrooms, showers and lockers. A long balcony provides a view of the water basin and a 100-foot floating dock, long enough to launch more than one boat at a time.

Proctor’s executive project manager, Rick MacDonald, was on site from start to finish. “Construction took about seven months and everything went pretty smoothly, ” MacDonald says. “Because Vero Beach Rowing is a nonprofit, we had them pay for materials — that way we were able to save them around $26,000 in taxes.

“We made a real effort to see that the boathouse fit into the neighborhood. For example, the dark gray-brown color of the concrete tile roof matches the shade of the surrounding oak tree branches.”

Board member Jimmy Michael seconds MacDonald’s comments. “We really wanted the boathouse to fit in, to be a good neighbor and an asset to the community. We selected pervious pavers for the parking area; they’re environmentally friendly in that they allow water to flow through and be recaptured in the subsoil.”

T he pavers also presented an opportunity for individuals and groups to lend financial support by purchasing pavers inscribed with their names. There’s Tremml, Goldman, Sheila and George, Saint Edward’s Rowing, and NDames — a team, comprised of Notre Dame alumnae, that trains at the rowing center during the winter months.

So, let’s take a closer look, starting at the entrance to MacWilliam Park and following Acacia Road as it curves left. That’s when you see the boathouse, nestled under the oak trees, looking as though it were always meant to be there.

The exterior of the first level is white, the second level blue — to be more precise, Sherwin-Williams Smoky Azurite. An oval sign with a pair of crossed oars announces that you have arrived at the Toffey Rowing Center, named after Jim Toffey, a former competitive rower and major boathouse contributor.

While it’s been years since Toffey was a member of the Dartmouth crew team, he remembers what it felt like to be out on the open water, as well as the opportunities and benefits rowing provided him. Supporting the boathouse was his way of passing it along, and, as he said at the opening, “I’ve yet to meet a rower I didn’t like; this group here is fantastic!”

No one knows and preaches the benefits of rowing better than Shotsi Lajoie, who, together with Chris Ryan, co-chaired the fundraising campaign and is known as Vero Beach Rowing’s biggest cheerleader. She also happens to be its president.

“The boathouse was completely paid for by people in this community; that’s why everything we do here has to do with promoting and teaching the sport of rowing in order to develop physical fitness, personal character, and an ethic of cooperation through recreational and competitive opportunities,” says Lajoie, who was a member of the University of Notre Dame’s first women’s eight-member crew team in 1974. She continues to row most days, just before dawn.

“The formation of our building is pretty simple. We have youth and masters programs. We have Learn to Row programs for all beginning rowers, including outreach groups for disadvantaged youth and a program for breast cancer survivors in collaboration with Friends After Diagnosis. We have recreational rowing opportunities for county residents. The sport of rowing promotes adaptive programs for people with all manner

Donate $250 or more and you’re eligible to get a booth (only 5 spots available)

Social Media Shout Outs

Anyone donating gets a shout video by us to inform the community of your contribution. Our videos get anywhere from 500 to 5,000 views!

Vendor Booths Signs of disabilities, so if someone comes to us with an idea for a program, we’ll look at it and see what we can do.

If you’d like a sign, let us know at time of donation. Signs are put in 5 gal buckets of sand and placed along bowling lanes for optimum viewing.

“Rowing is a non-impact full-body workout, and afterwards you’re sore all over, but it’s worth it,” Lajoie enthuses. “I’ve seen people turn their lives around through rowing, whether they achieve sustained weight loss, overcome diabetes, or simply find a strength in themselves they never knew they had.

“Everyone is welcome in our house. Our door is always open. We want people to come and row with us. They’ll be glad they did.”