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Fundraising for stadium is stepped up
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By Julie Perry
By Julie Perry
A campaign to raise $250,000 to pay for the restoration of Homer Hanson Stadium officially started this week with mailings to Marysville High School alumni.
Before the mailings, more than $12,000 in donations had been collected from patrons and businesses. The money raised will be used toward structure repairs of all limestone surfaces in the 76-year-old stadium.
Because money is tight in the school district, the fundraising committee has said from the start that it hopes to pay for stadium repairs through donations.
“The renovation group would like to be able to pay for the entire stadium project through donations,” said Unified School District 364 Superintendent Khris Thexton. “The district would help out as much as fiscally possible through capital outlay funds, which are designated for buildings, grounds and equipment.”
Construction on the stadium started in 1935 and was finished by the fall of 1936, when the Bulldogs lost a 20-0 game to Junction City in front of 1,500 people in the first game played on that field during a Nov. 11 afternoon. Funds for the stadium came from the Works Progress Administration, which was started under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The WPA helped to put people to work and gave towns like Marysville new schools, gyms, swimming pools, libraries and stadiums.
Since then, the only repairs to a unique stadium carved into a hillside were to its concrete base that had flaked or cracked under some seats. According to members of the fundraising committee, almost daily rock is crumbling or falling in the stadium. Weather, erosion and lack of drainage are causes behind the stadium’s deterioration.
“The stadium is deteriorating quickly due to weather,” said Brian Fragel, a member of the fundraising committee, at the Jan. 17 Kiwanis Club meeting. “It’s not due to a lack of maintenance.”
Fragel and other committee members haven given project presentations at the local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs.
Both east and west entrances to the stadium need to be completely repaired, he said. The deterioration is not only noticeable at the entrances but throughout the stadium.
Last fall, the group selected Restoration and Waterproofing Contractors Inc., Kansas City, Kan., to do the work. The company has said it can do the repairs in segments if the proposed $250,000 has not been raised. A breakdown of the project could be available in March.
If the work is done in stages, committee chairman Bert Lord said repairs would likely start in the southwest corner where people can see the difference between the new and older parts of the stadium. The group would like to see work start in the spring or summer.
The money is for structure repairs only and will not include renovation of the press box or restrooms on the property. The seven-lane rubberized 400-meter track that wraps around the football playing field will not be removed to make the repairs and is not expected to be damaged, said committee chairman Bert Lord, who started organizing the project last summer.
Restoration and Waterproofing Contractors Inc. will clean 7,400 square feet of limestone, repair stone mortar joints, replace mortar and missing stone, repair cracks in retaining walls, tuckpoint all stone, rebuild 2,200 square feet of veneer and caulk all caps. Stones will be sealed and drains will be installed to eliminate water pooling behind the walls from rains, melting snow and ice.
Any money raised beyond the $250,000 estimate will be used for future improvements, the fundraising members said. Those improvements may include the press box and the restrooms.
Groups, businesses and individuals who donate at least $2,500 will have names engraved on a plaque that will be displayed in the stadium. Donations are tax deductible. While the fundraising effort is geared at Marysville High School alumni and local businesses, any donation will be accepted. The group has not planned other fundraisers, because it wants to see how much money is raised, said Julie Haggard, a member of the fundraising committee.
The group is looking into tax credits and state grants.
Class lists are needed for the 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Members of any class can follow the project at facebook.com/homerhansonstadium. Work is still under way on a project website.
Donations need to be earmarked for the restoration project, which has its own fund. Donations should be sent to the Board of Education office, 211 S. 10th, Marysville, 66508.
Displays of the stadium since its 1935 groundbreaking to its current condition will be on display at local banks in coming weeks and at the Marysville Junior High gym during the Feb. 17 alumni recognition at the boys’ basketball game against Chapman.
A campaign to raise $250,000 to pay for the restoration of Homer Hanson Stadium officially started this week with mailings to Marysville High School alumni.
Before the mailings, more than $12,000 in donations had been collected from patrons and businesses. The money raised will be used toward structure repairs of all limestone surfaces in the 76-year-old stadium.
Because money is tight in the school district, the fundraising committee has said from the start that it hopes to pay for stadium repairs through donations.
“The renovation group would like to be able to pay for the entire stadium project through donations,” said Unified School District 364 Superintendent Khris Thexton. “The district would help out as much as fiscally possible through capital outlay funds, which are designated for buildings, grounds and equipment.”
Construction on the stadium started in 1935 and was finished by the fall of 1936, when the Bulldogs lost a 20-0 game to Junction City in front of 1,500 people in the first game played on that field during a Nov. 11 afternoon. Funds for the stadium came from the Works Progress Administration, which was started under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The WPA helped to put people to work and gave towns like Marysville new schools, gyms, swimming pools, libraries and stadiums.
Since then, the only repairs to a unique stadium carved into a hillside were to its concrete base that had flaked or cracked under some seats. According to members of the fundraising committee, almost daily rock is crumbling or falling in the stadium. Weather, erosion and lack of drainage are causes behind the stadium’s deterioration.
“The stadium is deteriorating quickly due to weather,” said Brian Fragel, a member of the fundraising committee, at the Jan. 17 Kiwanis Club meeting. “It’s not due to a lack of maintenance.”
Fragel and other committee members haven given project presentations at the local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs.
Both east and west entrances to the stadium need to be completely repaired, he said. The deterioration is not only noticeable at the entrances but throughout the stadium.
Last fall, the group selected Restoration and Waterproofing Contractors Inc., Kansas City, Kan., to do the work. The company has said it can do the repairs in segments if the proposed $250,000 has not been raised. A breakdown of the project could be available in March.
If the work is done in stages, committee chairman Bert Lord said repairs would likely start in the southwest corner where people can see the difference between the new and older parts of the stadium. The group would like to see work start in the spring or summer.
The money is for structure repairs only and will not include renovation of the press box or restrooms on the property. The seven-lane rubberized 400-meter track that wraps around the football playing field will not be removed to make the repairs and is not expected to be damaged, said committee chairman Bert Lord, who started organizing the project last summer.
Restoration and Waterproofing Contractors Inc. will clean 7,400 square feet of limestone, repair stone mortar joints, replace mortar and missing stone, repair cracks in retaining walls, tuckpoint all stone, rebuild 2,200 square feet of veneer and caulk all caps. Stones will be sealed and drains will be installed to eliminate water pooling behind the walls from rains, melting snow and ice.
Any money raised beyond the $250,000 estimate will be used for future improvements, the fundraising members said. Those improvements may include the press box and the restrooms.
Groups, businesses and individuals who donate at least $2,500 will have names engraved on a plaque that will be displayed in the stadium. Donations are tax deductible. While the fundraising effort is geared at Marysville High School alumni and local businesses, any donation will be accepted. The group has not planned other fundraisers, because it wants to see how much money is raised, said Julie Haggard, a member of the fundraising committee.
The group is looking into tax credits and state grants.
Class lists are needed for the 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Members of any class can follow the project at facebook.com/homerhansonstadium. Work is still under way on a project website.
Donations need to be earmarked for the restoration project, which has its own fund. Donations should be sent to the Board of Education office, 211 S. 10th, Marysville, 66508.
Displays of the stadium since its 1935 groundbreaking to its current condition will be on display at local banks in coming weeks and at the Marysville Junior High gym during the Feb. 17 alumni recognition at the boys’ basketball game against Chapman.
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