The Shawano Park and Recreation Department will be pursuing a grant that, if received, should make some improvements on and possibly expand the Shawano Recreation Center.
Recreation director Matt Hendricks told the park and recreation commission that there are federal grants coming to Wisconsin geared toward providing high-speed internet to recreation centers, public libraries and other public spaces. He noted it would help people who don’t have any internet or poor internet by providing space for telehealth needs, online meetings and more through offices and gathering areas both outside and inside.
“In our rural areas, many folks struggle with lower-quality internet options, so this is an option that creates a grant,” Hendricks said, noting that the grant will also provide funding to improve the infrastructure of the recreation center.
Beyond the internet assist, Hendricks is looking at the grant to help tackle some of the changes the city is looking at for recreation additions. The city is looking at a full-court gymnasium for basketball and volleyball, as well as a new pool. The existing pool would remain but get some modern improvements, as well.
Talking about the gathering spaces, Hendricks said: “In a sense, think of it like a living room. In some of these modern facilities, you walk into a very welcoming area with fireplaces.”
Hendricks emphasized that the four offices and the gathering space would need to be part of the grant proposal, or else there’s no chance of the city getting the grant.
Indoor space is a necessity in Shawano, he said, noting that the schools’ gymnasiums and other facilities are “tapped.”
“We can’t even run a simple open gym,” Hendricks said. “Every community has an open gym where you just play hoops or you play volleyball. We can’t do that.”
The recreation center would retain its racquetball court. Hendricks noted the sport is not the most popular, but Shawano’s is the only court between Wausau and Green Bay.
“Even though there’s a smaller usership, it’s an important facility to those people,” Hendricks said.
The city could receive up to $4.5 million from the grant, which would not require a match, according to Hendricks. However, the total estimated cost for the planned improvements is $12.9 million.
Hendricks noted that the city had previously purchased three properties behind the recreation center in anticipation of its expansion someday. To do the new pool, however, would require additional property acquisition, he said.
“Everything else, minus that, fits on the existing footprint,” Hendricks said.
Without the additional pool, the total costs for the upgrades come in around $7.5 million.
Alderman Kevin Barkow noted that a lot of the proposal was similar to what the city had considered in 2019 in a joint venture with the Shawano School District for a joint recreation facility at Shawano Community High School. That idea received low community support in a survey done then, so the project was scrapped.
Hendricks said the improvements are similar to what was proposed five years ago but does not include a large, indoor turf field for football or soccer practice.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
Recreation center improvements considered
