Bridging The Gap

McCall Stories

The Ponderosa Center aims to fulfill a programming need and create a landmark indoor gathering space
BY Kailan Manandic
Driving into McCall, it’s easy to get a beautiful glimpse of Payette Lake just before the left turn onto East Lake Street.
Down near the shoreline to the right sits Legacy Park, the perfect perch to sit and ponder with a pristine view—one of the best the West Central Mountains has to offer. The park is something of a centerpiece for the town at the intersection of the retail district, the northeast neighborhoods, and the nature that binds it all together.
But there’s still a missing piece. Just behind Legacy Park, a little further inland, the sound of music dances on the wind, and everything clicks into place.
“It has been a very thoughtful project,” says Hayley Johnson, administrative development director of the Ponderosa Center. “We’re piecing it together based on what the community needs, thinking about things like what people would like to see in a gathering place in the middle of winter.”