Governor takes tour of Shawano’s rec center
Gov. Tony Evers paid a visit to Shawano on Oct. 10 to tour the Shawano Recreation Center, which is a recipient of $4.25 million from the state’s Flexible Facilities Program.
The center was built in the 1960s, but only minimal upgrades to the building have taken place. The funding from the state will allow the center to be renovated for the addition of telehealth offices, an expanded exercise room, family friendly locker rooms that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and high speed internet access.
The city in 2019 looked at partnering with the Shawano School District to build a new combined rec center, but that was met with community backlash. Since then, the city has been searching for ways to improve the existing building.
Details are still forthcoming on the renovations, but the grant projects are the first, according to City Administrator Eddie Sheppard. Expanding and building additional gym facilities is much further down the line, assuming funding can be secured for that work.
“The rec center is something we’ve been talking about for several years about needing updated and bringing new things to the community, and lo and behold, you get a grant opportunity like this and then the governor comes to say ‘Hi,’” Sheppard said. “That’s why we always do this advanced planning. Even if we don’t have enough money to do it right now, you never know when these things might come along.”
Evers said the project shows that Shawano officials really care about their community. He noted that the work done by the city on initial plans shows Shawano knows what it’s doing.
“Their dedication to their kids and their community is just amazing,” Evers said. “I’m really glad that we were able to provide the resources for them to meet their dreams. They’re forward thinking, too. It’s not just about what’s happening now but they’re thinking about telemedicine and making sure there’s space for that. It’s obviously going to be a bigger thing moving forward.”
There were over 100 projects vying for the Flexible Facilities funding, and only 35 got the funding. Officials from Brown and Waupaca counties and other locations were at the rec center Oct. 10 to talk with the governor about their plans for the funding they’re receiving.
“We talked to a lot of people who got the grant awards that are really going to change their downtowns and change their ability to provide things that other people can’t provide, whether it’s a library or child care, anything related to community spaces,” Evers said. “I’m really happy I came here to hear the stories, and we’re going to make changes that make a difference in the lives of people.”
Evers applauded Shawano officials for what they’ve done to provide recreational opportunities, and he feels the renovations will provide even more for residents.
“They have a nice facility now,” Evers said about the rec center. “It’s just a matter of expanding it. It’s an older facility, so as things have changed, they’ll have room for telemedicine and make sure that people that don’t have access to internet have access. They’ve made very thoughtful decisions, and they understand how important it is for the Shawano community to recreate, be healthy, find ways to do some fun things with their neighbors.”
Evers said it was important to have sit-downs with the grant recipients and talk about the projects, noting that small-town officials are often busy, but he wanted to hear what folks had to say about projects like the rec center.
“I wanted to have an opportunity to hear directly from them,” Evers said. “Everyone kind of has a different story, and I think telling their stories is really important for me as governor to hear about that. I think it’s also an opportunity for them to celebrate what they accomplished.”
Sheppard expects plans to solidify in the next two or three months for the first phase, but he did not have a firm timeline on when renovations would start. The $4.25 million grant does not require matching funds from the city under Flexible Facilities, so work could start after the Shawano Common Council signs off on the final plans.
“We’ll have that soon,” Sheppard said. “We’ll have an idea in the next couple of months.”
Sheppard was pleased that the state funded the full amount the city was seeking.
“We feel very fortunate,” Sheppard said. “Only 30% of the people who applied got the grants.”
The Flexible Facilities grants are one-time only deals, unlike other grants, which require matching funds and are renewable, according to Art Bahr with MSA, which has worked with the city on other projects like the Naberhood Plaza.
“If another grant comes up in the future, two years or five years or whatever, we can look at that then,” Bahr said.
Sheppard noted that Bahr and Jennifer Schroeder, who also works with MSA, worked well with city staff on the rec center project.