Hello Friends!
As many of you may have heard, there has been tremendous progress over the past 6 months on the goal of installing turf at Harding Memorial Stadium.
Hopefully, you’ve had time to watch the first episode of BulldogCenter where Dr. Lloyd and Joe Singleton cover the most recent developments. You can watch that video here:
To summarize the key points:
The OAC and OFSD were able to receive a commitment from a major new sponsor for $200,000. That sponsor will be announced shortly.
All funds needed to complete the project must come from corporate sponsorships, donations-in-kind and from grassroots community fundraising efforts (just like this) with the exception of current school funds used to maintain the current grass field at the stadium.
Once turfed, the stadium will be used by kids of all ages (just not high schoolers) and for multiple sports and activities - band, football, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, etc.
Utilization of the stadium will go from a couple dozen events a year, to a couple hundred. This increase in attendance will result in extra revenue for the school district that can be used to maintain and improve their academic fields, as well as academic clubs.
The Engineering and Surveying part of the project is underway, with the Olmsted Athletic Commission donating $49,589 to cover the costs.
Should there not be any surprises during that phase, and if we can close the funding gap (more on that below) we should be able to break ground in early June, with completion in time for our first home football game in August.
What are the costs and where are we with funds?
Between engineering, excavation, field stabilization, concrete, asphalt and the turf itself the project is approximately $850K - $900K. The good news is that we are almost there, and with our “Fill the Backer Wall” campaign kicking off we believe we will bridge any financial gap to get this project underway.
When looking at funds it is important to keep in mind three definitions:
Funds committed. This is the total amount of funds that are committed to the project and may be payable over the next 10 years. A good example of this is the Vitamix deal - where there is a financial commitment for $200,000 with payments of $20,000 a year for 10 years.
Cash in Hand. This is the actual amount of money that is in the bank. Again using Vitamix as an example, they have made three $20,000 payments since the agreement was signed - so there is $60K in the bank and thus Cash in Hand.
Donations In Kind. This is the cash equivalent value of a donation of goods or services.
So where are we? This chart paints the current picture as of April 5, 2021:
4-5 Financial Picture
* OFSD Contribution is current allocation from maintaining grass field (paint, fertilizer, etc.) at Harding Memorial Stadium.
Our goal is to raise another $100K+ in the next 60 days to ensure that we close the approximate $75K-$125K funding gap. We will be reaching out to associations, businesses and families in our community to push this over the finish line.
While this does not guarantee that we will have turf installed for this fall, a successful fundraiser in the next 60 days gives us a real great shot at making it happen. There are a few unknowns out there and we hope to get clarity on these items in the next 30 days or so as the engineering and surveying work is completed.
We know it’s a big ask from our community - but we are very very close in fulfilling one of our core missions when we started the Olmsted Athletic Commission 18 months ago. We’ve had to face several obstacles (School levy, COVID, etc.) and yet we are in a position to make it happen.
If you’re already a 3-2-1 Crew Member, we wouldn’t be in this position without you. We’ve already made a difference in the community with the baseball field renovations, and are able to contribute $100,000 to this project. We are now looking to do more - so please take a look at how you can upgrade your level of support and become a member of the Varsity, All-Star or All-American Crews.
For those of you that were holding back and waiting until we got to this point - we’re there and we would welcome your donation. It’s a great chance to not only support a project that will benefit all kids in the community, but a chance to leave a legacy on the Bulldog Backer Wall.
Please keep your eye out for more posts and more episodes of BulldogCenter as we share updates.
Thanks!