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Date: 1/12/2022
SOUTHWICK — It was a game-changing announcement last week for the Southwick Recreation Center. Its campaign to fund a new roof for its 42-year-old indoor sports building got a big boost.
In a Dec. 31 letter to the editor in The Westfield News, Russell Fox — Select Board member and the Rec Center’s vice president of buildings — announced that John Whalley, president and treasurer of Whalley Computer Associates, and his wife Kathy had made a “very generous donation” for the new roof. Fox wrote that this shows their “true love for their community and its children.”
The concrete and metal building off Powder Mill Road was built in 1979. It’s used for basketball and floor hockey programs as well as for a before- and afterschool support program for K-6 students with working parents. According to Rec Center President Kirk Sanders, the original metal roof began developing extensive leaks two years ago.
He said the roof — which he described as beyond repair — has been patched twice and is in “dire need” of replacement.
“We’ve patched it as best we can. It’s got to be replaced. We don’t have a lot of money — and replacing the roof is very costly,” he said. Estimates range from nearly $50,000 to almost $90,000.
Sanders called the Whalley donation “awesome.” He said the Whalleys’ children and grandchildren had all gone through the Rec Center’s programs.
“They felt like they could step up and help us out,” Sanders said.
He added that the Whalley gift, and other recent contributors Sanders wouldn’t identify, put the “Raise the Roof” campaign “over the top.” Sanders said he isn’t authorized to disclose the exact donation amounts, but the Rec Center Board of Directors will announce them at a future date.
Sanders said once a contract is signed, he hopes construction will start in the spring, as long as the contractor is able to get needed materials. The Lions Club and the Rotary Club have made donations along with individual donors — many in small amounts, such as $10 or $15.
A number of donors were former Rec Center participants.
“There have been a lot of youngsters who are older now, or who are in college, who donated whatever they could spare — which was very nice,” said Sanders.
Campaign to continue
Though the roof is now fully funded, the campaign is continuing, Sanders said.
“We may now have enough for the roof, but what we’re looking at now are inside problems caused by leaks,” said Sanders. He explained that insulation in the ceiling damaged by water needs to be replaced.
“That will be costly, too, so we’re still looking for donations. We’re not sure how much damage has happened,” he added. “We’ve got to get this done.”
Raising money has been a daunting challenge during the past two years, he said. “Raising the Roof” fundraisers in the past year brought in nearly $35,000.
In late 2020, the Rec Center launched a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising funds. But it’s stalled at just under $5,000. Sanders recently discovered that the GoFundMe donations are reduced by fees charged by the crowdfunding platform.
“Because of that, we’re now urging anyone making donations to send it directly to us,” he said.
Hurt by pandemic
The Rec Center began to recognize that it would need a new roof in early 2020 — about the same time the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The pandemic, with its restrictions on in-person and indoor activities, has “sharply limited” several of the Rec Center’s traditional offerings, especially basketball and floor hockey.
An independent nonprofit organization, the group doesn’t receive any town funding. It relies on donations and fees charged for its programs.
“We couldn’t do any programs — especially floor hockey, one of our most popular sports — from early 2020 into 2021,” Sanders said. “COVID really hurt us.”
Additionally, baseball, one of its biggest programs until recently, has declined. Sanders explained that many players are opting to join the Westfield Little League instead.
The loss of fee revenue severely hurt the organization’s finances, and required the Rec Center to take out a loan. Despite these difficulties — and the possibility of roof leaks getting worse — there was never any thought to temporarily close the building.
“We never took that attitude. We were going to keep this place running as best we could. I wouldn’t let that happen,” said the retired Southwick police officer who has served as president of the Rec Center since 2007.
The 16-member board of directors — who each oversee committees for specific programs — have been very involved in fundraising.
“They know the situation we’re in,” Sanders said. “They’ve been trying to get our regular programs going. If they couldn’t get one started, they raised money with sports clinics.” He said the Rec Center hadn’t traditionally offered group clinics for children interested in baseball and soccer, “but it was a creative way to raise money.”
The Rec Center also found ways to stay afloat. During the past two summers, it leased its baseball fields to other towns. This summer, it provided parking for two large events at The Wick 338 — the Rugged Maniac obstacle course races and the motocross national — and raked in nearly $30,000 toward a new roof.
Although sports programs have been limited by the pandemic, the school-age support program continued. It used the building’s gym and followed strict guidelines from the local Board of Health.
“Being able to continue that program saved us by bringing in funds,” said Sanders. “It helped us a lot.” He hopes the current flare-up of COVID infections won’t jeopardize this season’s floor hockey program. “It starts Feb. 1. We don’t want to lose another year.”
Located on 30 acres, the Rec Center has its origins in a sandlot baseball league. The Southwick Recreation Center was established in 1961 and purchased former farmland for $13,000 to build athletic fields.
The Rec Center Board of Directors meets monthly and is responsible for daily operations. Members include Cassey Bay, Michelle Beirne, Ian Brathwait, Jessica Boldyga, J.B. DeJean, Bob Deluca (secretary), Brian Estock, Ray Foisy, Russ Fox (vice president, buildings), Mark Rankin, Ray Snow (vice president, grounds), Kirk Sanders (president), Marc St. Onge, Stacy Smith, Rob Stevenson (vice president, School-Age Program) and John Wilcox (treasurer). The officers also constitute the nonprofit’s Executive Board.