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HODAG DOME COMPLEX FACT SHEET OVERVIEW
Overview of Hodag Dome: Rhinelander High School was built in 1958 and at the time, was one of the better schools for facilities and academics in the state. However, over decades – did not add to facility space and as community and number of activities grew, the facilities deteriorated and very few improvements were made, with the exception of the 2010 referenda which main focus was on lighting, roofing, asbestos. Private money helped improvements in gymnasium, pool, auditorium, fitness center; however, no additional space was created. Most School Districts and communities have more dedicated indoor facility space in the form of a field house, gymnasiums, and activity space. Rhinelander does not have these spaces and has a much more difficult climate than many of the schools in the state. Even schools around Rhinelander with similar climates, such as Eagle River and Ashland, made major additions and improvements for their facility space in the last few decades. Rhinelander has the best of all four seasons: summer, spring, fall, and winter. Yet the spring/winter has become very difficult to utilize outdoor space from October through May. Minnesota has 36 Domes versus 3 in Wisconsin – none in northern Wisconsin. Many of the Domes in Minnesota are in the Minneapolis area, which has a similar climate to Rhinelander. In combination, most domes are seasonal domes which means they are put up and taken down around the winter months, as land use can be limited. The Hodag Dome will be a permanent dome and the land configuration is an incredible asset for how it complements the schools and stadium. The Hodag Dome will provide community space for students, the community, and senior citizens in our area. Exercise and engagement of students shows a direct link between academic success and better cognitive skills, and improved mental health. The Hodag Dome is estimated to be similar to what happened in 1958 when the High School was built, which helped Rhinelander emerge as a destination school in the state. Previously, students had to practice until 10:00 p.m. at night or travel to other communities to practice. The Hodag Dome will help reduce the challenges of year round practice and competition, which in turn provides more family time and opportunities for activity success. The Hodag Dome will provide facility space for community events for trade shows, community gatherings, public events, and so many more benefits utilizing this space. The Hodag Dome will provide many cost benefits that are substantially less than a seasonal dome or a metal building. In addition, the Hodag Dome provides the ability to be divided into smaller areas, so several groups can utilize it simultaneously. The Hodag Dome complex will be the largest high school Dome in the country with 128,000+ square feet. In addition, the Hodag Dome will be one of the largest air supported domes in all of North America, and in the top 10% of the entire world to include turf for soccer, football, track, pole vaulting, baseball, softball, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, basketball and seasonal gymnastics. The Hodag Dome will be the largest permanent dome in multiple states – and one of the few that can host softball or soccer tournaments inside in the winter months, while also hosting tennis meets and other community events. The Hodag Dome will have four permanent tennis courts, which will be lined for pickle ball, which is a growing activity for all ages. Further – the courts will have interchangeable sport court surfaces to allow for basketball and volleyball to take place within an hour to add on the court surfaces or remove. This will help all of these sports and help host tournaments. The Hodag Dome will truly be unique as Rhinelander may be able to host a soccer tournament and a regional tennis tournament at the same time. The Hodag Dome will have 168 LED lights and natural light, which will provide a bright and accessible facility. With winter and dark/cold days – being able to see light, green grass, and use a facility helps in mental health and helps senior citizens being able to walk and exercise away the cold. The Hodag Dome will have a high-level air exchange system always pumping in air to keep the air clean. The Hodag Dome will have 6,678,000 volume of cubic feet for ventilation thus the building will have vents open providing approximately 1 air exchange every 4 ½ hours and the fresh air rate is 24 hours a day. Thus, when the Dome is unoccupied, the entire volume of the Dome will be more and more filled with fresh air effectively multiplying the ventilation rate. Additionally, the Air Rotation Technology in the design of air movement will have an effective method of ventilating all of the air in the dome without ductwork. Normally up to 70% of air in an occupied building is stagnant and not replaced with the fresh air. The Hodag Dome Air Rotation System mixes virtually 100% of the air in the dome to get air changes. With the current and health issues in mind, clean air with the exchange system, and filtration along with a spacious facility to provide social distancing are all helpful. Further, the Hodag Dome has a combination of snow, wind, and pressure sensors to automatically increase the pressure and warm up the membrane when the weather turns cold or icy to be able to melt off the snow/ice from the Dome to control and reduce the weight on the Dome. The Hodag Dome will have Wi-Fi to be able to have participant access to use phones / video / and for tournaments. The Hodag Dome is estimated to bring in substantial economic benefits to the Rhinelander community via tournaments, which will help restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc. Further, the Hodag Dome will be a major attraction and retention for families and businesses in our area. As an example, the WIAA has already made inquiries about the potential to host State Tournaments if regular venues are unavailable. The Hodag Dome will have key features for the community. Two indoor softball fields can be utilized back to back at the same time for leagues. In addition to the year-round tennis and pickle ball usage, two golf simulators along with practice area for golf can be used for community members, as well as the track for walking and exercise. The Hodag Dome will help bring open enrollment back to Rhinelander, which in turn, will help provide more income back to the District to reinvest in teacher salaries, facilities, and marketing of the school. With the Covid issues and economic hardships, everyone needs positive news and the timing of these improvements will provide Rhinelander a great benefit. In addition, the potential improved enrollment trends can bring in more state aid to our District. The Hodag Dome will also help attract and retain teachers – as Rhinelander improves enrollment, additional state aid can help in teacher pay versus our peers. Rhinelander has already seen interest from teachers outside the area, which complements the goal of always attracting and retaining the best teachers to help our students and community. The economic, social and health challenges are driving people across the country to ask themselves where they want to live, move, or stay; the Hodag Dome will be a great asset for people to consider Rhinelander as their destination for learning, activity and community in the future. It will be amazing and truly differentiate and help Rhinelander. Overview of Hodag Dome Outside: The Hodag Dome Complex offers many improvements outside with softball fields, a baseball field, and practice fields for soccer, football, and community use. In the past, the land behind the high school had water drainage issues and was not used year round. Now the considerable land the Rhinelander School District has will be efficiently utilized for the outdoor space. Rhinelander has much more land per capita than many other schools. Where many schools utilize a seasonal dome or metal building for facility needs, a Dome is more cost effective versus metal buildings by 1/3 rd to 1/4 of the cost, and metal buildings need to be configured by joining the current school, which would add costs and impact the busing loop and create location/pavement costs and issues. However, for a permanent Dome, a school needs the proper land configuration with enough land to utilize, which Rhinelander has in comparison to other schools. The land where the Hodag Dome complex and softball fields are located was land that was rarely used because of drainage issues. Through the school planning and Parks Force Task plan by the City, the land was identified to relocate the softball fields. Almost 2,800 loads of fill were brought in from Musson Brothers to provide enough dirt and landscaping to build a base under the Dome and help fill the land for softball and activity use. The concession stand that was just opened in 2019 provides a nice backbone to the Dome with new bathrooms and a kitchen area to serve concessions and food/drink. A new building constructed in front of the concession building will be welcoming visitors to the Hodag Dome and will have a special Donor Wall in Dr. Lee Swank’s name honoring all donors who contributed to the Dome complex. The building will also provide a gathering area and an office for the Dome manager. New lighting and security will complement the outside area with 35 light poles lights added in for proper lighting for students and the community in addition to security cameras for safety. Parking was added with 70 stalls in the east lot and 110 stalls in the west lot for a total of 180 stalls, including 6 handicapped stalls. Previously there was little to any parking around the stadium and the stadium was not lighted behind the football stadium. Now, the outdoor improvements will provide visibility and accessibility. The addition of two softball fields at the high school will allow Pioneer Park to remove softball, which can help open up this park space to allow a better park environment for Rhinelander, as it currently is crowded. The Mike Webster stadium pavers put in by the Hodag Facilities (Schools) Foundation in 2004 were preserved and now provide a new walkway with the Mike Webster arches. In 2019, artificial turf was added as previously, there were improvements to the track and field with private money however, due to the climate, this field was torn up and was not efficient. Now, community events such as graduation, games, and other practices can be held at the Stadium. Several old buildings were removed to add in parking and space. Landscaping and concrete was carefully planned and laid out to provide a walking trail usable by the students and community for a pleasant tour all around the Hodag Sports Complex. These features seamlessly connect the High School and Middle School campuses. The Hodag Schools Foundation (HSF) is pleased to accept a contribution from Aspirus for the Hodag
Dome complex. Aspirus, which was recently named an IBM Watson Top 15 health system for the third year in a row, views the contribution as an important investment in our local Rhinelander community. Once completed, the dome will provide the region with fitness opportunities throughout the year. “We’re very happy to play a role in bringing this excellent facility to the area,” noted Jesse Tischer, Aspirus Senior Vice President & President of Regional Markets. “Aspirus is about more than healing people. This project is a perfect way to show that we also promote health and wellness while strengthening our communities.” The Hodag Schools Foundation has stated the permanent dome structure will be one of a kind, and it will be up year-round and able to provide substantial benefits for students, the community, and the economy of northern and central Wisconsin. “Athletics and activities are a vital element in our school systems,” said Robb Fabich, Aspirus Regional Clinic Director. “The Hodag Dome will enhance the area school system, which will help attract and retain quality medical professionals to the area. This is one more way that Aspirus can help make a difference in people’s lives outside the traditional health care setting.” Ron Counter, President of the Board of Education noted, “We sincerely appreciate the Aspirus donation to the Hodag Dome which will help the Rhinelander School District. The donation toward the dome complex complements other donations to help support the Rhinelander school district and community including the Aspirus Community Fitness Center, the Aspirus School Clinic, and continued ongoing support for our community.” The Hodag Dome is expected to be finished in the next several months. HSF and the Rhinelander School District are planning an open house and dedication in the fall. The Hodag Schools Foundation (HSF) is pleased to announce they have surpassed their $2 million goal in improvements for the Hodag Dome and Complex.
HSF set out to work with donors and the School District to help raise money toward the indoor and outdoor improvements, which now will be a reality this fall. HSF envisions these improvements to be similar to what happened in 1958 when the High School was built, which helped Rhinelander emerge as an educational leader in the state. HSF has issued several press releases in the past 18 months since Dr. Lee Swank’s generous gift initiated the project, and there will be additional in the next few months. HSF sincerely thanks all donors mentioned in past press releases, and the School District has provided naming right opportunities. HSF is also grateful for all private donations. The Dr. Lee Swank donor wall in the new complex will list the names of donors gifting $1,000 and above. Dave Heck, President of HSF noted, “In these uncertain times, we are thrilled to provide positive news. We are so thankful to all donors that made this happen. In addition, we are grateful for the School Board and Administration commitment to make this investment for the future of Rhinelander. Mike Roberts has done a great job on the capital projects design, and Ron Counter and fellow school board members have provided leadership to help this become a reality. We thank Brian Paulson, D.J. DeMeyer and softball including Tim Musson, and also thank Superintendent Kelli Jacobi for her help on this project and congratulate Kelli on her retirement. As she moves into retirement, the Dome complex will also be a great springboard for the new Superintendent Eric Burke to help take Rhinelander to another level.” The permanent Dome structure will be one of a kind, and it will be up year round and able to provide substantial benefits for students, the community, and the economy of northern and central Wisconsin. Heck stated, “In our research, Ron Counter, Mike Roberts, Brian Paulson and I took several tours viewing facilities. After visiting a Dome in Minneapolis, we got in the car and were in absolute awe of what a facility of this type could do for our community. And not just for activities. In fact, the first thing the Principal said from the district we visited was how much of a mental health improvement they saw in kids due to being able to see green grass and increased light. Instead of being stuck inside during the cold and dark in the winter with electronics, kids can play, get active, learn and use these facilities.” Mike Roberts, HSF board member and school board member commented, “We found that a permanent Dome structure is much more cost effective than a metal building. It can be much larger yet be more efficient, addressing space needs. The space will allow us to host tournaments and trade shows, providing incredible civic use, and help for students. The Hodag Dome will greatly help in all forms of activities, learning, involvement, and benefit the community.” The following attributes reflect on the improvements:
Heck believes the new space will benefit SDR students and the whole Rhinelander community. He continues, “Most schools we have seen have much more inside dedicated space for students for learning and activities, Rhinelander never did until now. Thus, it will truly help Rhinelander students. However, it will also benefit our community since many other schools, groups, and teams have inquired about facility use. Economically, it is estimated that these improvements will bring in over $1 million annually to our area from restaurants, hotels, movie theatre, gas station, and the like. Rhinelander, “the Hub of the Northwoods”, will likely see a dramatic improvement in economic progress with these facilities. This will not only help students but also attract and retain families and businesses. The economic, social and health challenges are driving people across the country to ask themselves where they want to live, move, or stay; the Hodag Dome will be a great asset for people to consider Rhinelander as their destination for learning, activity and community in the future. It will be amazing and truly differentiate and help Rhinelander.” Brian Paulson, board member of HSF and Activities Director, commented, “We have heard from districts and teams throughout the state of how this is great for Rhinelander – and they want to be part of it. Already, we have scheduled a 12-team invitation for wrestling in December, a possible 17-team tournament for softball in March, and April softball/soccer tournaments. This is only a start – we have had colleges contact us to use this facility. Because there is nothing like this anywhere close, this will not only benefit our students and community, but will draw in visitors to support Rhinelander’s economy.” Ron Counter, President of the Board of Education noted, “With the Covid issues and economic hardships, we all need positive news and the timing of these improvements will provide Rhinelander a great benefit. In addition, we feel this will help enrollment trends, which in turn, bring in more state aid to our District. The Hodag Dome will also help attract and retain teachers – as we improve enrollment, additional state aid can help in teacher pay versus our peers. We have already seen interest from teachers outside the area and want to always attract and retain the best teachers to help our students and community.” HSF and the Rhinelander School District are planning an Open House / Dome Dedication in the fall and excited to provide a positive and incredible benefit and asset to the community. Yet, even with all of these great improvements, there is still room to make progress. In relation to the sports courts, which can interchange court surfaces between basketball, volleyball, and tennis; the total costs have not been fully funded in the original bid. Therefore, HSF is still raising money to help the District. Donors providing $1,000 and up are able to get their name on the donor wall and help fund these court improvements. Further, indoor golf improvements are being discussed. If you are interested in helping fund these additional improvements, please contact HSF. Amidst the widespread disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and with the utmost concern for the health of our alumni and community members, HSF has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 All Class Reunion. We look forward to seeing you all AUGUST 14, 2021.  |
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