St. Henry boosters plan facility

ST. HENRY - A new all-purpose athletic complex with dual basketball courts, a weight room and other features is being planned near the school.

The proposed facility will cost "considerably more" than $250,000, according to St. Henry Athletic Boosters President Bill Gast, who Monday night informed board of education members about the endeavor.

An estimated cost will be announced when the final design is chosen, he added.

The proposed building will be paid for through fund-raising activities by the athletic boosters club. The group also hopes to obtain financial support from community organizations, Gast said. No school funds will be used, he added.

"The discussion started with the idea of upgrading the current weight room and locker room building at the stadium," Gast told the board.

He said initial plans were to expand the Wally Post Athletic Complex to the west but club members decided "we wouldn't gain much space," he explained.

"The building is 30-plus years old and we felt putting $250,000 plus into it didn't make sense," he said.

Members of the athletic boosters club met with contractors, engineers, bankers and others to share ideas for a new facility. The group also visited the athletic complex at New Bremen schools to explore possibilities, Gast said.

The organization eventually decided it would be more advantageous to construct a new building to the north of the school on the former Buschur property. The chosen site is on district-owned land.

The architectural design shows a rectangular building with a front entrance along Main Street. The main floor would span 12,600 square feet and include an all-purpose room with two full basketball courts, restrooms and a storage room. A 2,077-square-foot area upstairs would house a weight room.

Included in the plans are a batting cage, volleyball court accessibility and training areas for multiple sports.

Gast stressed the plans were preliminary and continue to be tweaked.

"We started with a pretty big dream ... and we knock stuff off as we need to," he said.

Gast said the plan would provide athletes of all ages much-needed gymnasium space. The building would be available to student-athletes, community members, school organizations and others, he said.

"The possibilities are endless," he added.

Fund-raising efforts would begin when the final design is selected, Gast said. The club will periodically update board members on the progress, he noted.

Gast said groundbreaking could take place possibly within 18 months.

District athletic director Dennis Wendel said a critical part of an athletic complex is flooring.

"It has to serve multiple sports," he said, adding he would share information he has on the subject with the booster club.

In other business Monday, board members,

• approved the hiring of track coaches for the 2014-15 school year. Hired were Matt Thobe, head junior high track coach; Mark Thobe, assistant junior high track coach; and Tim Braun, assistant high school track coach. All three are returning coaches.

Also hired was Carmen Moorman, a St. Henry graduate, who will serve her first year as assistant high school track coach.

• approved new and revised NEOLA board policies. NEOLA is a hired consultant that helps districts keep policies updated per state standards.

• approved the creation of a new account for $85,179 in Camp Inquire funds. The district - the fiscal agent for the summer program attended by students - previously deposited the money in the general fund but was asked by state auditors to create a separate account.