FOR THE TOMAHAWK LEADER

The Hatchet Pride Project Committee announced last week that they are nearing their goal of raising $2.25M toward the Hatchet Pride Project, a fundraising campaign for outdoor athletic facility improvements at the Tomahawk School District.

The project, which began in 2016, was organized by community members who realized the need for improving the facilities and that the school district was not going to be able to invest the funding needed for this type of project. Like many large fundraising projects of this kind, details of the project were not made public until the committee had secured over 75% of the necessary funding from local businesses, foundations and grants. With the recent public announcement the committee is now hoping that the local community can help support the project in the final push to meet their funding goal of $2.25M.

“We are extremely excited about the progress of this project and can’t wait to see the student and community response when they see the new facilities this fall!” This has been a very difficult process that would not have happened without a group of very dedicated and passionate volunteers that kept positive through the ups and downs when trying to gain traction with potential donors for the project,” asserted Aaron Evans from the Hatchet Pride Project Committee.

“The current football field and track were originally built in the 1960’s over a former private airport runway and have had little upgrades since. The field and track desperately need improvements to provide a safer playing surface and provide for increased use among student athletes, physical education classes for the K-12 campus, and community members who use the facilities. In addition the current bleacher system which was put in around the early 1980’s does not meet current code and is not handicap accessible for spectators,” emphasized Terry Timm a Hatchet Pride Project Committee Member and Hatchet Hall of Famer.

“We approached the school district in 2017 after preparing an initial project scope, cost estimate, and strategy and asked for their approval to explore the project” stated Andy Peissig from the Hatchet Pride Project. “Our goal was to raise enough funds to cover the improvements without the school district having to budget any funding to the project. This has been a very strategic process with countless hours of planning meetings, donor presentations, and having to make significant adjustments to our initial plan. We originally wanted to improve more of the outdoor facilities, but after gauging donor response we had to cut back on our funding goals and eliminate some items from the original plan. We wanted this project to allow a safer and better athletic experience for our students and be a source of pride for our community. I think the Tomahawk Community will be very proud of this project and we cannot thank those who have come forward to support this project enough!”

More information will be coming, but construction on the project is estimated to begin this spring with completion by the end of August. For more information on the project , visit www.HatchetPrideProject.com where you can make a tax deductible donation through their 501(c)(3) partner the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, or you can also make your donation directly to the Tomahawk School District with Attn: Hatchet Pride Project.