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Plans move along to build an indoor activity center in Poland
POLAND
Plans to build an indoor activity center in the township park are moving along as the organizers prepare to choose an architect to design the facility, for which they have about half of the funds they want to raise.
Indoor Poland Activity Center board members are in the process of raising private donations to build a 25,000-square-foot facility that they envision as “a place for people in the community to come together, across all demographics,” board member Skip Slaven said.
Board members plan for the facility to have a 22,000-square-foot main activity area with field turf and netting for athletics, and a 3,000-square-foot side building with a conference room.
The main activity area will accommodate soccer, baseball, football, volleyball, wrestling and lacrosse. Board members also are considering an indoor walking track, they said.
The conference room will be available for events and meetings.
Former township trustee Mark Naples first proposed the idea for the facility in 2012, and in 2013, the IPAC board formed and signed a lease agreement with the township.
The center will be built at the township park between Cowden, Moore and Miller roads, which the township leases from Republic Services-operated Carbon Limestone Landfill for $1 annually.
The Poland Youth Soccer Association already plays on the outdoor soccer fields at the park. Board members and Mike Heher, division manager of Republic Services, say they think the facility will enhance what the park has to offer.
“We want [IPAC] to be the cornerstone of the park,” Slaven said. “There’s a lot of good things going on there, and I think this will be an anchor.”
The group soon will begin a grass-roots fundraising campaign to raise the rest of the funds needed to start construction. Board members say they feel confident that the community will be supportive of the effort, especially since it will be done without tax dollars.
“There’s nothing like [this] in our community right now. We feel the community is ready,” Slaven said.
The project recently progressed with the installation of water and sewer lines, at no cost to the IPAC board. NiSource Inc. donated water lines, and Hilcorp Energy Co. donated sewer lines, which will bring restroom facilities to the park for the first time.
Board members are reviewing bids from architects, and will have plans drawn up by the end of March.
The groundbreaking day for the facility will depend on donations, board members said.
To donate or get involved with IPAC, email IPAC.poland@gmail.com, or call or text 330-269-5136.