Sports complex work still on target

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Walls of a building that will house pickleball courts during the school year and a weight room during summer months as well as locker rooms, a concession area, and space for meetings, workshops, and events such as family reunions, are going up south of Marion’s football stadium.

The ongoing construction is part of a $3.26 million project that also includes new lighting for baseball and softball diamonds. Voters approved issuing bonds to pay for the project after a previous bond to build the district’s Performing Arts Center and Sports and Aquatics Center was nearly paid off.

“We’ll move the weights into that pickleball area during the summer,” Superintendent Justin Wasmuth said.

Workers are getting concrete completed on both sides of the building.

“They’ll start putting up roof joists this week, and the plan is to have the building fully enclosed by early May,” Wasmuth said.

The project is on target for completion by the middle of August.

“The date we are looking at is right before school starts,” he said.

The project is being managed by the Law Co. out of Wichita. It also is overseeing construction at St. Luke Hospital.

Local companies are performing portions of the work.