WAYHA raising $350,000 for project
By Robert Cloud
After five seasons, the girls’ high school hockey team still uses a trailer behind the Waupaca Expo Center as a makeshift locker room.
“The youth locker rooms are really small and outdated,” according to Joel Bartel, who is a member of Waupaca Area Youth Hockey Association board. “If teams have girls, we need to find separate locker rooms for them. Sometimes, they have to use the closet to change.”
There are also no showers in the locker rooms.
“When we have a visiting team, such as Eagle River which is a 2 1/2 hour drive back, they can’t even shower,” Bartel said. “That’s kind of disgusting.”
Bartel is working with other WAYHA members to raise $350,000 to build new locker rooms and rennovate the lobby at the Waupaca Expo Center.
Plans call for building an addition behind the Waupaca Expo Center.
The addition will include one new locker room each for the high school boys’ and girls’ teams, two youth hockey locker rooms and showers.
Two of the four existing youth hockey locker rooms will be removed in order to expand the lobby.
Bartel noted that WAYHA has worked with the Waupaca School District to provide a winter sports opportunity for community youth.
“The school district is building the athletic field,” Bartel said. “I think this is something we need to look at, too.”
Bartel said WAYHA’s goal is to finish the project by next fall.
WAYHA is selling ceramic tiles with the donors names to raise funds.
A 4-by-8-inch tile is $100, an 8-by-8 tile is $500 and a 12-by-12 tile is $1,000. The tiles will be located inside the Expo Center.
Bartel said WAYHA has raised about $40,000 so far.
To make a donation by purchasing a tile contact [email protected] or call Bartel at 715-439-3542.