A Field of Dreams

The Rotary Track and

Athletic Field

A TUPPER LAKE, NEW YORK ROTARY CLUB PROJECT

     The Rotary Track and Athletic Field project was undertaken as a community project under the leadership of Rotary Club, and had full community support with donations of money, labor, materials and equipment, throughout the four years it took to raise funds and complete construction. Contractors, logging firms, carpenters, electricians, attorneys and teachers volunteered their services. Rotary provided project management, administrative control, public relations, and fund raising, all voluntary. In addition, many other community groups held fund raisers. One example was the collection of 140,000 pennies in one week by elementary school students to honor participants in a 380-mile relay run by the Tupper Lake Running Club to give national attention to our project. The total funds raised from the community were $255,715.24. A New York State Grant of $75,000, which came in the final months, was the only government funding used. No accounting was made of volunteer effort, but its value is estimated at $225,000 or more.

     Tupper Lake is a community of about 6000, in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. The old track, built in 1938, was no longer of competitive quality, causing the Track team to hold "home meets" at a nearby community 22 miles away. The new facility not only provides a home track, but a premier facility for many sports with a magnificent view of Adirondack High Peaks, capable of hosting regional athletic competitions.

     The Rotary Track and Athletic Field was built to serve the whole community, school children, the handicapped, senior citizens, clients of the nearby Developmental Disabilities Center and the Tupper Lake Running Club, all of whom were represented in the Dedication Ceremony. The Project Manager, Rotarian Rickey J. Dattola, was honored publicly with a Paul Harris Recognition given by District 7040 Governor Willy Andersen in that Ceremony.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

     The Rotary Track and Athletic Field is a simple, functional, no-frills design. The area chosen is on the property of the Tupper Lake Central School District behind the L. P. Quinn Elementary School and is open and has excellent drainage. The track is designed especially for the space we have available. It is called a "Broken Back Curve Layout", and has four corners of uniform radius, separated by straight stretches along the side, and gently curved stretches at the ends. (This is in contrast with the more typical semi-circular-ended track with parallel sides, which requires a much longer field.) The track has a paved asphalt base, with good drainage, and a resilient surface treatment specially designed for running track use. In addition, there is a Game Field within the track circuit. The Game Field will accommodate Football and Soccer. The grounds have room for a Baseball Diamond should it be wanted at a later date. The complex includes bleachers, restrooms, a warming shed, a scouting tower, a scoreboard, fencing and the basic necessities needed to conduct sports competitions.

     The project was started in 1994 by the Tupper Lake Rotary Club, who provided the leadership, project management and fund raising initiatives. Many individuals and groups in the Tupper Lake community joined in with donations, conducted their own fund raisers and volunteered on the construction. By the end of the project, the following tasks had been completed through voluntary effort and with donated funds.

Removed and stockpiled 2000 cubic yards of topsoil.

Cut and fill 25,000 cubic yards of earth (to level the field)

Laid 350 feet of 12 inch Drain Pipe (including trenches)

Laid 5350 feet of 4 inch drain pipe (including trenches)

Laid 500 feet of electrical conduit

Filled drainage trenches with gravel

Installed septic tank and field

Installed 3 manholes

Hauled, spread and graded 8000 cubic yards of sand

Top soil replaced on Athletic Field and surrounding slopes.

Top soil hand raked and stone removed using hundreds of donated man-hours

Athletic Field seeded.

Track and Field brought to grade

Base Course for Quarter mile track laid.

Scoreboard hardware (donated by Coca Cola) on hand ready for installation.

Entire field and slopes hydro-seeded

Foundation for Restroom and Scouting Tower Building installed

Straight-away section of track paved

Erected goal posts

Laid Long Jump and Shot Put asphalt areas

Installation of Commemorative sign, plantings and paving block walkway at the Field entrance.

     No record was made of volunteer effort contributed by members of the community but encompass some of the following groups and activities;

Tupper Lake Rotary Club's project management team provided more than 2000 hours of construction management, technical consultation, and administrative effort.

Several Work Days involving such tasks as pipe-laying, hand grading, sod-laying and cleanup were led by Rotary Club and School Athletics Staff and participated in by dozens of community members.

Hundreds of hours of equipment and operator time were donated by local contractor and logging firms for earthmoving operations.

Carpenters built the Scouting Tower, a Handicapped Observer Platform and Restroom facility as well as a commemorative sign on donated time.

A special team of volunteers erected one-quarter mile of chainlink fencing around the track.

     The total funds raised were $230,715.24 plus a $25,000 bequest now in probate. Donated funds were raised totally within the Tupper Lake community through several efforts as follows:

"Make the Dream Come True" public appeal. Major donors are acknowledged on a permanent plaque.

"The Great Tupper Lake Yard Sale" . All purchasers of "square yards" of the Field and other larger donors are memorialized on a permanent display and provided honorary "deeds" for their donations

Three major gifts and bequests were committed or received

Three summer social events were held; "Leadership Dinner" in 1995, "Rotary Appreciation Night" in 1996 and "Victory Celebration" in 1997. The Leadership Dinner was labeled the best ever social event in Tupper Lake's 100 year history; a bonus.

Dozens of smaller community fund raisers sponsored by groups other than Rotary Club

     Finally, a New York State grant of $75,000 paid for final asphalt paving of the Track, the Latex Granular Track Surface and certain materials to complete construction of the auxiliary facilities and fence installation.

     The Rotary Track and Athletic Field was completed and turned over to the Tupper Lake Central School District in a ceremony on September 5, 1998, attended by District 7040 Governor Willy Andersen and District Governor Elect Lionel Arlan. The Project Manager, Rotarian Rickey J. Dattola, was honored publicly for his outstanding effort with the presentation of the Paul Harris Recognition.