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On schedule, on budget

The Manawa Activity Complex is on schedule to be completed by the first scheduled home football game of the Manawa Wolves, Friday, Sept. 14.

Jeff Bortle, atheletic director for Little Wolf High School in Manawa, said the second and final layer of asphalt for the track and bleacher pad was scheduled to be put down on Monday, July 30. Over the next two weeks the fence will be erected. At the conclusion of the two weeks, the stripes are scheduled to be painted onto the track.

At the present time, the field may appear weedy, but Bortle said grass seed is constantly being added to the field, and the weeds will be eliminated over the next week depending on the weather.

“All the weeds you see out there will be gone and it will just be grass,” Bortle said.

Bortle added that people should not disturb the field until it is officially opened.

There were a few unforeseen issues that came up during the construction portion of the project, Bortle said. First, the type of sand in the area impacted the installation of some of the lights.

“They knew that ahead of time because they did borings and found sugar sand underneath,” Bortle said. “What they were hoping was when they got down and opened up the hole that maybe the sand would be a little bit tighter. All they had to do was pour a concrete base.”

The drainage system was also more expensive than expected. Some removal of tree material that was found buried underneath the backside of the track was also an unexpected expense.

Despite those setbacks, Bortle said the project is still on budget. To stay on budget some things had to be scaled back.

Donations for the Activity Complex continue to trickle in, but the fundraising committee has now started to focus on fundraising activities and events. The fundraising committee has morphed into a newly formed booster club, which is handling the fundraising activities.

“We’re still actively looking for donations but during the mean time we’re doing fundraisers to raise additional funds,” said Mary Griffin, treasurer of the booster club.

Companies can purchase signs advertising their business, which will be displayed at the Activity Complex.

The signs will be 4-by-8-feet poly-metal in full color with each business’ logo and business information. The cost of purchasing a sign is $300, which includes the cost of the sign, for the first year and then $200 for each year after.

Other fundraisers planned include an Alumni Volleyball Tournament in September, as well as selling 2013 calendars for $20 apiece with chances to win money each day. The calendars will include photos of the different sports that take place at Little Wolf High School, said Griffin. Calendars will be sold through the end of 2012.

Griffin said The Manawa Steakhouse, Steve and Michelle’s Midtown, and Kegler’s Bowling Center are organizing a horseshoe tournament for Saturday, Aug. 18.

“They are going to donate half the entry fees to the field and then the booster club is going to run a concession stand at the Steakhouse in order to raise money,” Griffin said.

Bear Lake Campground and Resort allowed the booster club to do a 50/50 raffle at one of its events.

“We raised a couple hundred dollars there,” Griffin said. “A lot of the businesses are looking for fundraisers that we can help with.”

The Manawa Activity Complex will be showcased on Thursday, Aug. 16 when the Meet the Wolves, Meet the Cowboys event is held. The event will include a pig roast and those in attendance will be allowed to see the different aspects of the new facility. There will also be items raffled off at the event.

“It’s not that we’re doing it (Meet the Wolves, Meet the Cowboys) special for this year, but obviously it’s going to be more special this year,” Bortle said.

September 14 will be the first home football game held at the Activity Complex.

“We’ll have fireworks after the game,” Bortle said. “It’s parent’s night and at halftime [there will be] an introduction of everybody who has donated time or effort towards the field.”

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