TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City Area Public Schools approved the construction of an After-school Clubhouse and Multi-Purpose Fieldhouse at the site of Carlisle Field. The project will replace the existing outdoor fields with a new indoor athletic facility funded primarily through community donations.
The school district is moving forward with the project to address a need for more indoor space, following several years of focus on outdoor facilities. While the construction will result in the removal of the current fields, the district is working to relocate long-term users, including local youth sports leagues, to other nearby athletic complexes.
Scott Newman-Bale, TCAPS school board president, explained that the district has focused on building several outdoor facilities over the last few years and currently has more of those than indoor spaces.
“So it’s always a balance,” Newman-Bale said. “But we’re working on all of our facilities at once.” Existing programs that have used Carlisle Field for years are now coordinating with the school district to find new space.
Traverse City Little League, which has used the field for practice, is currently working with TCAPS to move those sessions to the West Fields and the Trojan Athletic Complex. District officials noted the property belongs to the school and has not seen high levels of use from the general public.
The project is funded by a collection of community donations and grants.
The TCAPS Alumni Association provided the largest portion of funding with a $6 million donation.
Other contributors include the Joseph G. and Helen I. Zimmerman Charitable Trust, which donated $900,000, and Munson Medical, which provided $250,000. East Bay Township donated $185,856, and the Traverse City Track Club Inc., a member of the Road Runners Club of America, contributed $100,000. Additionally, Cherryland Electric Cooperative is providing in-kind electric donations, lighting rebates and an energy efficiency grant.
Trevor Tkach, president and CEO of Traverse City Tourism, said the $1.5 million donation from his organization is an investment in the local economy. “This opportunity not only opens up a whole new world for the families that live here in the region, but also gives us the opportunity to host tournaments and do events during the winter time,” Tkach said.
He noted that the indoor facility will help attract visitors during “need times,” which the hospitality industry considers the slower months of the year.
While Tkach acknowledged that the tourism organization might not directly recuperate the cost of the donation, he said the partnership supports the long-term health of the region.
Carlisle Field is scheduled to close in mid-April when frost laws expire. A formal groundbreaking ceremony for the fieldhouse is expected to take place later this spring.