TOWER- An $85,000 grant from Lake Country Power (LCP) will fund the majority of an estimated $91,000 project to update the gym at Tower-Soudan Elementary. The district will be contributing the remainder of the project costs.
The updates include cleaning and painting the discolored brick walls, replacing the 20-plus year old foam pads on the back wall and stage wall, and purchasing new risers to be used for both school and community concert performances.
These renovations help complete other work already done in the gym, including a new sound system and better lighting.
Principal John Jirik applied for the grant, and then when the school’s proposal was selected as a finalist, was asked to give a presentation to the LCP board.
Jirik was very excited the project was chosen for funding. He noted the project benefits the school along with the wider community, which uses the gym for events such as the community choir holiday concert, and other large gatherings.
The grant is from a special Lake Country Power program created to benefit schools in the cooperative’s service area. The Education Improvement Program awards grants of up to $100,000, funded through the coop’s unclaimed capital credits. The coop’s board of director’s reviews applications, determines the finalists, and then can request in-person interviews, before a final decision is made. This is a new program, started in 2022.
Greg Schulzetenberg, community relations manager, said the LCP board was impressed with the gym’s importance to the wider community.
“The gym is central to the community,” he said. “It’s not just a school, but a community space.”
Schulzetenberg said Jirik made a very compelling presentation to the board.
This is the second year the board has made donations from this program. Last year they donated $100,000 to the Ely High School to help renovate the chemistry classroom.
Another update coming to the school is new tables for the lunchroom, Jirik said.
Jirik said work is expected to be completed this summer.
Teacher Scott Chiabotti figured the current purple and gold padding date back to the 1990s. The pads were donated by the Coco-Cola distributer in Virginia, as part of an agreement where the school agreed to sell Coke products in the gym’s concession stand. The padding is faded and stained, with numerous tears, holes, and punctures. The interior brick walls are also stained, especially along the area where the old bleachers were connected.