Akin Field has been a staple of the Hortonville community for many years. Children of all ages and their families gather at the field to play, team build and celebrate. In recent years, the facility was no longer able to meet all the needs of students in the Hortonville Area School District and community members. A team of HASD representatives and community members identified facility concerns and quickly established “Project Polar Pride”, a fundraising campaign to renovate Akin Field. This team dedicated quality time researching outdoor facilities at area comparable sized school districts. They toured Kimberly, Kaukauna, Menasha and Pulaski. The following areas of concern were identified and an improvement plan was made.
Safety Concerns
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Better field drainage to keep the playing field from constantly being flooded and unusable.
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Additional seating to accommodate the growing HASD student population and spectators. Additional seating with me added to the home, visitors and student section.
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Improving storage needs to protect and securely store athletic equipment.
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Improve lighting by replacing all light poles with equipment that will better illuminate the entire facility and offer a safer, well-lit environment.
Competitive Advantage
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Expansion of the concession stand to offer a variety of products that will better meet the needs of the audience.
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Replacing the end-of-life and outdated scoreboard with a modern solution to meet the needs of our events.
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A durable playing surface, sports turf, will replace the existing grass field to allow for better access and a safe terrain for all middle school and high school sports teams, Physical Education classes, marching band practice and community organizations.
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Enhanced facility access that will contain a new, bigger ticket booth and a more welcoming appearance.
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New Press Box to provide more space and better media accommodations that will support future growth in the area of modern communication and collaboration services.
The Hortonville and Greenville communities along with the surrounding areas have strong Polar Bear Pride. Enhancing the outdoor facility is a long-term investment made to the schools, students and the community. Wolf River Community Bank Stadium will provide an opportunity for HASD to keep athletic events at home, provide a high quality regional athletic facility and keep a competitive balance in addition to the outstanding academic offerings at HASD. High school and middle school physical education classes, marching band performances and practice, and community partnerships will all benefit from the facility. “Project Polar Pride team members strive towards making the new outdoor facility a benefit to each and every student enrolled in the Hortonville Area School District”, commented Mr. Kolosso, HASD Activities Director.
Although the original estimate for the facility came in at $4.5 million dollars, the planning team and building consultants were able to identify areas to reduce expenses. Out of the overall $3.401 million estimate for the Outdoor Facility, the HASD Board of Education voted to fund $1.2 million. The Project Polar Pride team is raising money to cover the remaining expenses. If you are interested in donating to the project, check out the Project Polar Pride website.
HASD is excited to open Wolf River Community Stadium, Home of Akin Field, for the 2018 Fall sports season!
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