July 23, 2014 at 4:50 p.m.
District ready to meet with Hodag Schools Foundation, other community groups regarding stadium facelift
District ready to meet with Hodag Schools Foundation, other community groups regarding stadium facelift
New light fixtures, which were approved by the school board during a separate meeting Monday (see Page 5A), and work on the track are the only improvements officially green-lighted, but other projects are being discussed including the inclusion of a soccer field inside the track, a new concession stand and entryway, an outdoor classroom, new team rooms and more.
No decisions will be made on the other projects until the district can meet with the Hodag Schools Foundation (HSF) and other community groups to determine how much money will be available for the upgrades. The district is hoping to be able to cover the vast majority of the expense through fundraising.
"We know we're doing the lights and the school is committed to doing the track also," committee chairman Mike Roberts said. "Now, we have to take these cost estimates and meet with the community and figure out what the priorities are and what we want to do."
Brad Simonson, president and CEO of HSR Associates, Inc., the architectural firm the board is working with to create a draft plan for the improvements, outlined what his firm has come up with so far.
"We looked at your district as a whole, trying to get a good handle on what your buildings are like, what your enrollments are and those kinds of things. We feel that is all important information to have," he said. "This is just a first step in the process, but it gives us some things to talk about."
Other than the lights, Simonson said his group focused on 10 main components of the project. Those components include moving the current concession stand, resurfacing or widening the track, reconstructing the football and soccer fields, moving the scoreboard, building a new entryway with a concession stand and restrooms, building an asphalt parking area, creating a team room and storage buildings, moving or building a new outdoor classroom, building enclosed storage buildings under the bleachers and improving the drainage system for the practice fields.
Some of the components are dependent on decisions made in regard to other components. For example, the scoreboard will need to move to the opposite end of the field only if the new entryway is created. Similarly, the soccer field will be placed in the stadium only if the track is widened. Simonson said the district should take these projects on a step-by-step basis.
"We're looking at this as something we can take step by step by step. We can go as fast as we need to or as slow as we need to, in terms of the pieces that get generated over time," he said.
Superintendent Kelli Jacobi said the district should look at the overall project in terms of phases.
"We could do this in phases. We don't need it all at one time," she said.
First and foremost, a decision will have to be made about the track. According to Simonson's estimates, resurfacing the track would cost $93,200 while constructing a wider track would cost $294,000.
"The second option is to construct a wider track to get the soccer field in there," Simonson said.
Once a decision is made on the track, decisions will need to be made on what to use for the surface of the football field and, possibly, the new soccer field.
Synthetic turf is the more expensive option, coming in at an estimated $616,200 compared to $181,000 for natural grass, however Simonson said turf is becoming more popular at the high school level because it is easier and cheaper to maintain and is more durable.
"There is some savings in operating and maintaining a turf field compared to natural grass," he said, adding that a district can save $20,000 to $30,000 a year with turf, which can last around 12 to 15 years depending on use. "Probably 80 percent are going to turf now," he said. "It's just a choice every district makes for different reasons."
Moving the existing concession stand would cost an estimated $24,000. Under the draft plan, the stand would be moved near the existing ticket booth. That would make room for the new entryway complete with a concession stand and restrooms.
"What that's going to do is get it nice and close to the stands for the fans," Simonson said.
That move, along with moving the scoreboard at an estimated cost of $25,000, would open up space for a new entryway directly south of the field. That entryway would be complete with a ticket booth, concession stand and restrooms. There's also the possibility of a Wall of Fame to be included in the entryway to highlight some of Rhinelander's more famous athletes.
The estimate to construct the entryway is $880,000.
Moving the existing concession stand would also open up more room for a parking lot leading into the entryway, which could cost up to $280,000 depending on how large the district chooses to make it.
Other possibilities include a team room with storage capabilities at an estimated $600,000, a new outdoor classroom to replace the existing classroom at an estimated $400,000, enclosed storage spaces under the bleachers at an estimated $125,000 and a drainage system for the practice fields at an estimated $102,000.
But, Roberts reiterated, nothing will be decided until the district meets with the community.
"We need to have some focus groups because everyone's got a different opinion. We need to have a lot of input on this," he said.
Because the district plans to complete the improvements in phases, the committee asked Simonson to create different drawings for the different phases in preparation for meeting with the HSF and other community groups.
Those meetings have not yet been scheduled.
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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