July 6, 2012 at 4:02 p.m.
Soccer club still seeking donations for new shelter
$100K needed to make project a reality
Soccer club still seeking donations for new shelter
Donations collected thus far have allowed the club to commence work on the project, but project organizer Katy Dyreby said that club is just over 60 percent of the way to its goal to cover the entire cost.
The Hanson Laked Soccer Complex is a six-field cluster behind the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport that hosts competitive and youth practices and games for the Rhinelander Soccer Club, which currently has over 300 children participating.
But there is no permanent facility for restrooms, concessions, storage or shelter from inclement weather.
The new building would provide a home for those amenities.
"When we go to tournaments, I always come back feeling that our kids don't have what the kids from (other communities) have," Dyreby said, referring to buildings that other soccer clubs around the area have.
So the club began collecting funds and planning for the shelter in 2010. Ground was broken on the site, at the south end of the complex, last fall and construction began last month.
To date, the club has raised $160,000 through 80 separate monetary and in-kind donations from area businesses and individuals.
The in-kind donations dropped the initial price tag of the project from $300,000 to $225,000, but Dyreby indicated that additional costs for sewer and water have driven up the bill.
"The question mark is still the sewer and the water hookup," she said. "We're waiting on two bids for that. That probably going to be estimated at $30,000-40,000. We won't know for sure until those bids come in ... We have $160,000 now and we need another $100,000 at least to make sure it's a go."
Dyreby said she anticipates the bids within the next couple weeks.
Phase I of the plan lays the groundwork for the building, literally, with frost walls, a concrete slab and building foundation with plumbing. That work is underway.
"That's as far as we can go until we raise (more money)," Dyreby said.
So why did the Rhinelander Soccer Club start construction before it had the funds to finish the project?
"We have a firm belief and a commitment that we are going to see this through," Dyreby said. "Secondly, we're thinking that, hopefully, people will see some progress started and generate some new interest."
Dyreby added that because the way the Rhinelander Soccer Club is structured, it must rely on donations to build the shelter.
"The soccer club doesn't feel like it is in any kind of position to take out a loan because they just operate on a neutral budget from year to year," she said.
So the club is pounding the pavement again, asking for help from local businesses and individuals, as well as applying for grants.
"We've identified maybe 80-100 businesses and individuals that have been supportive of the Rhinelander community and youth in the past and that we feel would have a benefit, economically, if we can improve the facilities and bring more people to town," Dyreby said.
The club hosts games for boys and girls ages 5-18, but its travelling competitive teams play all of their summer tournaments away from Rhinelander.
The club said building the shelter would allow it to host youth tournaments, which could have a significant impact on the local economy.
"Once we get that structure and can start hosting tournaments, then we can start bringing in the revenue to Rhinelander with the hotels and the restaurants and the shopping that (teams and parents) do when we go to these tournaments," Dyreby said.
If the club can secure funding for Phase II of the project, the shelter could be completed this year. If not, the club will have to play the waiting game.
"If we don't know by September, then the project goes on hold until next summer," Dyreby said.
Donations can be made in any denomination. Businesses, organizations and individuals who donate $500 or more will be recognized on engraved plaque once the building is finished.
Donations can be mailed to Rhinelander Soccer Club, P.O. Box 624, Rhinelander, WI 54501. Online donations can be made at the club's website, www.rhinelandersoccer.com.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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