District considers options for athletic facilities improvements
By Kris Leonhardt
Editor
MARSHFIELD — During the Jan. 11 meeting of the Marshfield Board of Education, board members were presented with costs and options for phasing additions and improvements to Marshfield’s indoor and outdoor athletic facilities.
Original plans for the proposed project designed by the Rettler Corporation, a Stevens Point landscape architecture firm, include a 4,000-seat multisport stadium just north and east of Marshfield High School; two softball diamonds and a soccer field near Madison Elementary; a six-lane track and a soccer field at Marshfield Middle School; and a football practice and soccer field, a junior varsity baseball field, and a 100-space parking lot on the vacant lot near the Tiny Tiger Intergenerational Center.
John Kneer, Rettler landscape architect, presented the board with a phasing plan for completing the project in stages as well as arranging each phase into tiers, ranking aspects of each area from essential to nonessential.
“The baseball field and varsity softball field would need to be constructed first,” explained Kneer. “That first phase we have at about $1.46 million.
“After the construction of the baseball and softball facilities, that will open up the site where the existing baseball field is for the stadium development. The total we have on this phase two project is $7.2 million.
“Then we get into the phase three projects at $999,500, so just under $1 million for development in phase three.”
Phase four, which would complete work on the west parking lot, is estimated at $199,500.
“When we get down to (phases) five and six down here,” added Kneer. “Five is the Middle School development. That can occur at any time. It is very independent geographically from a campus use standpoint, and that is $1.5 million in improvements at the middle school. Phase six, that is the interior work … remodeling of the phys ed/gym space/locker rooms. We have that included, and that is something after the outdoor athletic and activities improvements are completed. We have the costing on that at approximately $3.8 million in development for the interior structures as well.”
The district will next hold a special meeting to allow the full board to discuss the subsequent steps in the proposed project.
“Rather than take it back yet to another committee — so we have two committees doing this — bring it to the full board at one time, and say, ‘This is where we are. How do you think we are going to go about this?’ and then get that out to the public so they are aware,” said Marshfield School District Superintendent Dee Wells.
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