By Jamie Ausk Crisafulli
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
With the first part of Phase II of the Oakland Athletic Complex complete, the Red Devil Booster Club and school officials are continuing the momentum with plans for the final part of Phase II, the Mid-Rivers’ media building.
The building that is complete houses a new concession stand, restrooms and will eventually house timing equipment for track. The bottom of the building is an open space that provides options for storage.
The first stage of Phase II took a little longer than planned – the original plan was to have the concession stand open for the first home game on Sept. 2, but was instead was ready to go by the final season home game on Oct. 14. Work to set up the grill has yet to be complete.
Red Devil Booster Club President Terry Hood said the facility was worth the wait.
“I’m thrilled. I drive by and it’s more of a beautiful building than I imagined,” Hood said. “It just fits into that beautiful complex so nicely.”
The Booster Club is helping to raise money for the complex improvements, the buildings will be donated to the school district when complete.
“I think it looks pretty awesome really,” Dawson County High School Principal Wade Murphy said. “We just really haven’t heard anything but positive things.”
Hood said that Holden Electric donated all of the electrical work. Rhett Coon Construction, the general contractor, donated a large amount of their costs as well.
Murphy said the vision of the building is owed to Rhett Coon with Coon Construction.
Major donors for Phase II include Ross and Tara Oakland, MDU Resources and Mid-Rivers. The Glendive Masons recently donated $30,000 to the project as well. Those donations coupled with several smaller donations made the project possible, Hood said.
Murphy said that once Phase II is complete, a ceremony to thank the donors will be held.
The end product was something the entire community can be proud of, Murphy added.
“To me it’s just a real positive thing. And I think it really does show that we can come together and get things done,” said Murphy. “I really hope that that type of mentality runs into other areas in our community as well.”
Media Building
The second building in Phase II will house the media area, scoreboard equipment, announcer’s room and a room for coaches to view field play. Mid-Rivers will have a direct feed to the building for broadcasting games.
“The new building will be the ‘Mid-Rivers Building’ because of their $100,000 donation,” Hood said. MDU Resources’ name will be placed on the new concession stand.
The original plan includes areas for taking tickets as well.
Hood said he would like to see the second building erected before the 2017 football season, with demolition of the old concession stand beginning once the 2016-17 spring track season is over.
Seating options
considered
Seating is one of the issues the school officials see getting in the way of hosting major events like college football games, all-star games and state track meets at the Oakland Athletic Complex.
Hood said that “if everything goes right, and we have the money,” the Booster Club plans to purchase portable grandstands to be placed on the east side of the field during football season until additional seating can be added.
While the portable grandstands will work temporarily, Murphy is putting his efforts into researching more permanent seating options for the complex.
The seating options he has researched include a continuation of seating above the current grandstand area. This would result in a built-in media building, so the plans have to be determined before work on the new building begins.
In the end, adding seating will have an impact on the cost of the project, but how much is yet to be determined.
“What it’s going to come down to financially is what do we want to do with the money we have, what can that get us?” Murphy said.
Updates on the facilities project are given at the monthly Red Devils Booster Club meetings. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, Dec. 7 at CC’s Cafe. The no-host meal is held at 6:30 p.m. with the meeting to follow at 7 p.m.
Reach Jamie Ausk Crisafulli at rreditor@rangerreview.com.