Red Raider Field of Dreams

Currently the efforts to renovate the outdoor facilities center around sports we currently offer as WIAA sanctioned sports at Pulaski High School (and feeder groups for those sports.)  The master plan includes several fields that may be lined or painted to facilitate other sports or clubs in the future should other sports become recognized as such.

This Field of Dreams project is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for Pulaski.  This renovation is not being funded through the PCSD budget.  The steering committee is seeking private donations.  We believe the best way to increase the PCSD budget is to increase enrollment.  “If we build it, they will come.”  An improved outdoor athletic complex for the school district will lead to higher enrollment in the future.

With the use of grass turf, we are limited by Mother Nature. Synthetic turf would allow us to dictate using the stadium field earlier in the spring season and later in the fall season. Further, the turf field could withstand the heavy use of the field regardless of the weather conditions. During the 2013-2014 school year we hosted approximately 104 events on the PCMS Stadium field and by the end of the season, the field was mud. The synthetic field would allow us to host more games and with a consistent surface.

Our initial plans came with an overall price tag of more than $9 million. We were able to sit down with our steering committee, Kevin Bahr (Facilities Director of PCSD) and Point of Beginnings consultants to get our budget down to $5.8 million.

Absolutely! The PHS Band is a vital part of our community. The turf at the high school stadium and the lights will give these 400 students a place to march and practice as well.

This Complex Project will really incorporate all sports and will affect all levels, all kids in our community. We will add three Tennis courts, the PHS Stadium/turf will be utilized by various levels of Football, Track, Softball, Baseball, Soccer, Lacrosse, and Band. Baseball and Softball programs will utilize the four fields that will be added. All athletes will be able to use the practice fields that will be added. The fields that will be re-excavated at the middle school site will allow our Varsity Soccer programs to have a home field to call their own that is not overused by other activities. It will also become home for eight soccer fields that host tournaments for our 800 youth playing soccer in Pulaski. Overall, these two sites will have immediate effect on over 3,700 students.

This community project will be done in phases. The first phase was established to encompass all students. The two phases provide an overall plan that we feel is set up to yield success.

The plan is to do this project in two phases

• Phase one would incorporate the PHS Stadium/turf, throwing areas, three tennis courts, a practice field, and one baseball and one softball field.
• Phase two would include an additional baseball and softball field at the high school, more practice fields, and re-excavating at the PCMS Soccer Complex.
• The plan is to play football on the new turf in fall of 2016 and softball and baseball no later than spring 2018.

While this project does meet many needs that the referendum project focused on in 2012 and 2103, it is not the same. As a steering committee, we have reduced the budget from more than $8 million to a more manageable $4.9 million. It is a community based project with fundraising efforts being sought from the private sector.

This project is a community-led effort. The Steering Committee is made up of:

• Cindy Egnarski (community leaders and parents of children attending PCSD schools)
• Terry Brockman (community leaders and parents of children attending PCSD schools)
• Eric Witczak (community leaders and parents of children attending PCSD schools)
• Teddi and Gordi Black (community members)
• Todd Gutzman (community members)
• Janel Batten (Athletic Coordinator of the Pulaski Community School District)

This project could attract more people to the PCSD Community and enhance our tax base. This improvement to our community will also provide safety to our students, fans, and community members who utilize the facility. An increase in enrollment numbers should result in a decrease in your tax liability.

NO! This project will have direct impact on football, but also Track and Field, Tennis, Lacrosse, Baseball, Softball, Soccer and Band.

At this time, our group is focusing on the most needed renovations that we feel will impact the most student-athletes in our district immediately and in the future. We are concentrating on the outdoor athletic needs.

The PCSD is aware of the added annual cost to maintain such a facility (approximately $50,000 annually) and has agreed to budget for this expense.

Complex Projects such as these tend to last 40-50 years overall without any major renovations. Regular maintenance and care of facilities will extend the life. Some parts of the project such as the turf (avg. lifetime of 15 years) may need replacement along the way. The bones of this project may last forever and this is really a once in a lifetime effort.

Point of Beginnings is an architectural consulting firm based out of Stevens Point, WI. They specialize in outdoor athletic complexes and have done several such projects in our area. They assist with every phase of the project including design, marketing, and the build. They are experts in this area and we want this once in a lifetime project done right.