Community rallies to build dreams

MARSHFIELD – Community leaders gathered Aug. 15 to celebrate what many called a dream beyond imagination: a 100% community-funded facility that promises to transform athletics and activities for Columbus Catholic School students and the broader Marshfield area.
The ribbon cutting ceremony marked the completion of a campaign that brought together parishes, businesses and families to create a multi-purpose facility featuring four full practice courts with portable bleachers, four classrooms, a fitness center, batting cages and a stage for performances.
“It’s not a dream come true. It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” said Joe Konieczny, director of school and community engagement at Columbus Catholic. “There’s some things that seem so great you don’t even dream of them. And this is one.”
Mayor Lois TeStrake surveyed the crowd of families and supporters, many of whom had contributed to the project through donations large and small. “The most important thing about what’s standing behind me are the children, the kids, the impact, their parents, the fans,” she said. The mayor noted that future generations will point to their grandparents’ role in making the facility possible.
The project addresses a long-standing challenge for the school, which previously relied on off-site venues and late-night practice schedules. Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce board president Amber Voelker joked that if she had access to such a facility during her school years, “maybe my gym classes would have looked different or I might have went pro.”

Beyond serving Columbus Catholic’s growing enrollment, the fieldhouse is designed to host tournaments and community events, including the school’s Alpine Holiday celebration and Diocese of La Crosse gatherings.
“The events here that are hosted will bring people to our hotels, our restaurants and our small businesses,” Voelker said.
The facility represents a community-wide effort spanning multiple years. Major contributors included Rick and Tammy Roehl, Jim and Sherrie Weber, the Wheeler family, and Wisconsin River Orthopedics. Marwood Construction led the building effort with Ratsch Engineering of Neillsville, with contractor Dylan Eilers receiving special recognition from school officials.
Konieczny shared a story about Father Jim Logan, a former priest who was known for giving out gym keys to anyone who wanted to practice late into the night at the school’s smaller, older facility. “He said, ‘I always believed that whenever a young person wants to improve themselves in any way, shape, or form, they should have a place to go,’” Konieczny recalled.
That philosophy, he said, will continue in the new space, complete with locker rooms, a concession stand, referee room and extensive storage areas. The facility will provide year-round space for physical education classes, athletic practices and community programming.
“As long as this place is here, the young people in this community will always have a place to go,” Konieczny said, as families began filtering into the facility for tours and refreshments following the ceremony.
The fieldhouse campaign was fully funded through community support, with the school accepting everything from major gifts to small contributions over multiple years.