I have talked to many people who have questioned the move of spending $1.1 million for the transformation of the field and construction of new bleachers for the home crowd, restrooms, press box and concession stand. The first words people say is the money should be used for classrooms, books-educational needs. The problem is money has been set aside for facilities and grounds and the money has to be used for that purpose.
Superintendent Peter Grant has said no NEW tax dollars will be used to finance the project. Of course the $700,000 committed by the district from facilities and grounds are tax dollars. However, the stadium will not create new tax debt. The remaining $365,000 is to be collected through fundraising, of which nearly $100,000 has already been committed.
A month ago I kiddingly said KMTelecom Field had a nice ring to it (no pun intended). As it turns out the field will be KMTelecom Stadium as a result of a 15-year $72,000 agreement between KMTelecom and the K-M School District.
There are people who will call such a project wasteful spending. If you read a related article in this week's edition of the DCI there is an explanation as to why the field is being rebuilt. I also feel there is justification for the project and support the move. With KMTelecom Stadium K-M is moving to another level, raising the bar for schools of this size in SE Minnesota.
The present grass field will be difficult to maintain when weather conditions deteriorate as we get further into fall. Last year was a prime example of what can happen to a field that is unable to recover late in the season from the elements, especially when you have boys and girls soccer and football co-existing on the same surface.
I am also looking at it from a selfish standpoint, walking the sidelines and taking pictures. The new stadium in Rochester is a treat for covering athletic events because of the artificial surface. It also benefits fans and athletes.
I am standing behind the school district and their decision to build KMTelecom Stadium. Nay sayers are entitled to their opinion, but I think the stadium will be a good investment in athletics and our youth. Like they said in the movie Field of Dreams, "Build It and They Will Come". It's going to happen!
I'm a student here and I don't necessarily condemn the stadium project, and I understand that the money for grounds and land has to be used for grounds and land, but we don't go to school for football.
ReplyDeleteSo we don't create any new tax debt. That's good news. If this is all privately funded, awesome. But it's not. The district is paying for some of it. And I can't help but feel this money can go somewhere else "grounds and facilities"-related.
I _always_ hear Peter Grant talking about how Minnesota is facing a huge deficit, and I respect that. I don't object to turfing the field, or even improving fencing, but do we need a whole stadium?
*plug for a performing arts building*
We aren't all sports-oriented.
I agree with Randy's post and have said many of the same things while talking about the new stadium. Of course I would also be considered "biased" to the project as a former high school football player at K-M. I truly believe in the saying, “Build It and They Will Come” (Field of Dreams, 1989). FYI...I was also in both band and choir. Thanks need to go to Nathan Davidson and Clark Johnson for dealing with me over the years. I had a great time and they both made it fun to be a part of band and choir.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone out there place numbers on how much varsity football brings into the district? Without knowing the actual numbers, I'm almost sure that varsity football brought in the most money per event over the years. Let’s say that 1,000 adults attended a varsity football game at $6.00 per adult. So $6,000 is grossed in one Friday night. I bet if the game was free we would have even more people show up for the game. I don’t recall the band or choir charging for all of their events. I remember one choir event, the coffee house concert, charged a fee. I don’t ever remember a band concert that people had to pay to see. How many people would attend if all of the senior high choir or band (varsity level) would charge per event? How much per event would they gross? I agree we need to have variety and not everyone will play football. Also for the ones out there, I would support a performing arts building too but the building costs and not having any money return is a fact to deal with.
As mentioned in the articles and posts, this isn't only for football. Soccer and many other events (not just sports) will benefit from this new stadium. I’m sure the district has a great plan on how they’ll charge outside groups to use the facilities. That will also bring in more money that the district doesn’t make with the current facility.
My skeptical side really thought hard about how this money was set aside for this project. Facilities are the physical part of the classroom too. That doesn't mean the educational part of the classroom but the physical buildings themselves. I believe that the K-M School District has a unique situation with the current economy and other schools are really struggling with their budgets. All I can add to that is GREAT JOB K-M School District Administration and School Board. I am PROUD of this school district and definitely brag about all the things that K-M Schools have to offer. The education is excellent and should always be at the forefront of why a school is a school. I agree with the other person posting, “we don’t go to school for football.” Education is paramount and I hope that parents will be able to raise their children to understand that their education will take them a lot further then any sport.