Additional pledges sought for new sports complex

The Wittenberg Village Board made a motion to pledge a goal of $100,000 toward a proposed sports complex in Wittenberg.

In doing so, trustees hope to build momentum and get other potential donors to open their wallets.

“Say that pledge may not be $100,000, depending on what our budget is. It may come to $10,000,” said Marlene Wepner, board trustee. “We want to get people out there to say, ‘Hey, they are doing $100,000. Maybe we can do that, too.’”

“Our dream is to do $100,000,” added board trustee Barb Buchholz.

A new high school gymnasium valued at $4.4 million was the part of a November 2018 referendum that voters did not approve, with only 41.8% support from the community. Voters approved $13.1 million in improvements and additions to classrooms and educational areas in that election, which have been mostly completed.

Supporters of new facilities are now trying a different tactic in seeking to raise donations for a sports complex near the high school. Wittenberg resident Jerry Aanonsen, to that end, is collecting pledges for the cause.

“I think that this is a good opportunity for people to donate as a community but then not have their taxes influenced,” said board trustee Paul Yaeger.

The plan for the building stems from the need for bigger and better sporting facilities. With the large number of children who continue to sign up for youth athletics, the Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School is running out of room to host practices, games and events, according to Yaeger.

“You can go anywhere that we are taking our kids, and you can see that our school is on the bottom end,” with regard to facilities, Yaeger said. “It is even on the bottom end for the schools in our conference.”

At a recent school board meeting, Wittenberg-Birnamwood superintendent Garrett Rogowski mentioned that in order for this plan to be put into action, a big donor will be needed to get to the monetary goal.

Some members of the Wittenberg Village Board believe that a pledge from them will get the ball rolling.

“In our case, if we can find it somewhere in whatever we have, like we do with streets or anything else, I think it’s good,” said Yaeger. “If we do something, then they can go back and reapproach other businesses and people. No one wants to go first.”

Aanonsen is using a date of Aug. 31 as a milestone to judge whether he should continue collecting pledges.

“I know that Jerry and his wife for sure are trying to find out by Aug. 31 if they are wasting their time completely,” said Yaeger.

Board trustee Sharon Beversdorf mentioned that she was unsure whether this is the best time to pledge money.

“I do not understand why there is a big push between now and Aug. 31 — if they really want to do this with the cost of building materials being so high and people are still recovering from the pandemic,” said Beversdorf. “I’m just thinking, what is the push?”

She further questioned whether it was a good idea to pledge money to a project that taxpayers had already voted down in the referendum.

“I guess the thing that bothers me is that if this was such a great necessity, then it would have been voted in,” said Beversdorf.

Yaeger mentioned that the taxpayers did not say no to the sports complex itself, but rather to the increase in taxes.

Beversdorf also mentioned that the school district will need to hire employees to maintain the facility, which would in result in raised taxes.

“That is our problem, because it does transfer into raised taxes,” said Beversdorf. “When the aquatics center was built, every time it broke down, it was a major cash cow to get it fixed. The track — $80,000 from the Lions Club. They did it, and it was great. But when it was time to resurface the track, well, that was the school district.”

Yaeger reiterated that all the village needs to do is pledge the money and not worry about how the complex is going to be built, when it is going to be built or what the school is going to do about hiring people to maintain it.

Village Board President Bill Switalla mentioned that Yaeger’s opinion and Beversdorf opinion were both correct.

“I agree with Sharon; it is going to cost the community more. At the end of the day, when it is all said and done, Sharon is right. It is going to cost more money,” said Switalla. “Paul is right, because we do need to expand or we are going to die; I totally believe that we need to progress.”

The motion was voted on and passed 5-2, with Beversdorf and board trustee David Timm dissenting.

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com