Gym restoration sought in Wakefield

By IAN MINIELLY

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Wakefield — A group of Wakefield residents is raising funds to turn the east end of the city hall building into a gymnasium.

The organization, “4 the Kids,” said one of the biggest challenges in the area is a lack of stimulating activities for grade school-aged children.

With this in mind, 4 the Kids wants to revert a multi-purpose room that was formerly a gym into a gym for area youth. Preliminary estimates range from $17,000 to as much as $31,000 for synthetic or hardwood flooring. The choice of flooring will be dependent upon how much funding is raised.

Mark Lane, athletic director of the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 school, wrote a letter of support urging the Wakefield City Council to support the effort.

Lane said elementary and middle school-aged athletes are getting shorted on gym time, which is restricting their development and that he hoped the city would consider the request to help and support the effort, so the kids “can flourish and succeed when they reach higher levels of competition.”

Donations are tax deductible and can be made at the First National Bank of Wakefield, 4 the Kids, PO Box 147, Wakefield, MI 49968. A go fund me account has also been set up through the gofundme.com website.