PAPERMAKER ATHLETIC FACILITIES FUNDRAISING

by: Terry Whitmore

A message from the Papermaker Athletic Fundraising Committee Thank you to the greater Nekoosa community for supporting the April 2020 referendum to upgrade the athletic facilities at Nekoosa High School. The scope of the referendum was designed to provide basic needed infrastructure. The vision for a multi-use facility is one that offers students, athletes, fans and the community a safe, comfortable and modern venue for extended year-round sports and regional events. This vision is becoming a reality and the excitement is growing quickly as we see construction in progress. Taking it to the next level, we have formed an Athletic Fundraising Committee to seek additional funds to make enhancements to the project not provided for within the referendum. During community discussions and meetings with the internal stakeholders, there have been a number of improvements requested. With a limited district budget, district funding of athletic facilities competes with dollars needed for educational programming. Therefore, we are developing an endowment fund to financially support current enhancements to and future maintenance of the District’s athletic facilities. The first enhancement to the existing approved facility’s plan is to upgrade the playing surface of the competition field from natural grass to synthetic turf. Our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and community will directly benefit from a synthetic turf field which allows the Nekoosa School District to host a greater variety of events and activities, more often, while experiencing a higher quality product on the field. In addition to much lower maintenance costs, there is a significant financial advantage to installing this surface in the early stages of the project. To be clear, synthetic turf was not included in the $2.9 million approved referendum, however the School Board has committed to this fundraising campaign to make this a reality. There are other enhancements as well, that with additional funding, will help create student athletic facilities that the community can be proud of, including, but not limited to: Access road and trail between Nekoosa High School and Alexander Middle School; Softball field lighting; An additional practice field for soccer and football; Bleacher system additional storage enclosure Equipment for track and field: high jump mats, camera for stadium to Livestream, practice field football goal posts, football 5 man sled, practice field soccer goals Replace wrestling mats Provide appropriate electrical service to baseball press box Baseball field lighting Replace baseball press box Ongoing maintenance and upkeep of facilities This committee recognizes the significance of each and every dollar that is donated by our stakeholders, especially following a year as challenging as 2020. We are extremely pleased to tell you that we have secured a contribution from the Legacy Foundation to match donations, dollar for dollar up to $500,000.00. We are so thankful for Legacy’s support of our communities and specifically this fundraising campaign. To give all businesses, alumni, current students/families, and community members the opportunity to further support Nekoosa students and the community, we are offering a variety of opportunities to donate. Now is the time for you to get involved and be recognized to help Nekoosa Schools consider the opportunities identified on the below form. If interested, either visit this link or mail the form with your tax deductible contribution to: Nekoosa School District 600 South Section Street, Nekoosa, WI 54457. If you are interested in setting up a larger donation and paying installments each year for up to five years or if you would like a presentation from our fundraising committee or have questions, please call Diana Martinson at 715-886-8000. We welcome any questions and recommendations.

School District of Nekoosa

Nekoosa, WI