December 23, 2022 at 4:28 p.m.
School board hears report on Hodag Dome's second year
School board hears report on Hodag Dome's second year
"Someone commented recently on one of our Facebook posts that they feel the Dome has really united the community and that's something we're really proud of," Jamison told the School District of Rhinelander Board of Education as part of a Dec. 19 presentation on Dome usage and impact. "Our goal is to be a place that offers something for everyone."
An average of 150 to 200 adults visit the Dome daily for walking, pickleball, tennis, use of the golf simulators or batting cages, and Open Turf time, Jamison told the board. She also noted that 1,334 memberships were sold in 2022, putting the total number of memberships sold at 2,580.
One activity in particular - pickleball - has certainly been a powerful draw.
"Word has spread that we have pickleball and lots of people are coming to play that," Jamison told the board.
Registrations for use of the pickleball courts doubled from 2021 to 2022, she added.
Pickleball enthusiasts are hardly the only group that is fond of visiting the Dome.
Jamison said the Rhinelander District Library, Headwaters, Inc. and the YMCA of the Northwoods are among many other groups that use the Dome regularly. In 2022, the Dome also played host to a wide variety of events including the Nicolet College Commencement Ceremony, MASH blood drive, the Walk to End Alzheimer's, the Wisconsin Education Fair and National Guard training.
"Are you reaching out to all these groups or are they contacting you, generally?" school board member David Holperin asked Jamison.
"I would say most have reached out to us," she responded.
Rhinelander students of all ages visit the Dome frequently for physical education classes and other activities, Jamison added, noting that the Dome has also been of enormous value to the district's student-athletes, especially during prolonged inclement weather last spring.
"I think we all remember how horrible our spring was this past year. We set some records we might not break for awhile," Jamison noted. "There wasn't a free evening in (the Dome) between March and May."
Due to weather conditions, the Rhinelander High School girls softball team did not play a single home game outside in 2022, she added. Instead, the team held all of its home competitions inside the climate-controlled Dome.
Jamison also noted that teams from other high schools rented the Dome on numerous occasions over the last year to avoid having to reschedule competitions due to inclement weather and the facility has also played host to college level tournaments.
"Since the Dome has been open, we've seen hundreds to thousands of visitors to Rhinelander on tournament weekends," Jamison wrote in a handout distributed to the board. "These guests stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants and shop in our stores. New hotels are being built and businesses are opening. We also continue to see Realtors bring prospective home buyers to the Dome as well as business owners bring prospective employees to tour it as part of their job interview."
District superintendent Eric Burke praised Jamison's performance in managing the facility and board member Judy Conlin lauded the entire staff.
"Someone recently commented to me about what a good job the staff does answering questions," Conlin said.
Jamison said she would be sure to pass along the kind words.
"We have very friendly people who do their job really well," she added.
Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].
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