BOTTINEAU The Bottineau Baseball Boosters have received a $10,000 grant from Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation.
Bottineau High School building trades instructor Rodney Schmidt said his construction technology students will be building a concession stand for the Bottineau Baseball Boosters at the baseball and softball diamonds located at Tommy Turtle Park in Bottineau.
The 400-square-foot facility will have a concession counter and storage space to house equipment used by the Park District for the maintenance of the diamonds. The new facility will have a covered patio and will be handicapped accessible.
Article Photos
Submitted Photo - - From left, Bottineau seniors Everett Brandvold, Dylan Drader, Zach Reinoehl and Brady Peck hold up a $10,000 check the town received from the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. The Bottineau construction technology class will be building a concession stand for the Tommy Turtle Park in Bottineau. The grant will be applied to that project.
Schmidt said Bottineau is the only town in the state to receive the Lowe's grant. He wasn't expecting to get the grant when he applied for it last fall, but he put it together with the help of a Bottineau Baseball Boosters committee member who had some grant writing experience. He was excited to get the grant.
"Ten thousand (dollars) is a lot of money," he said.
Schmidt said his students will start work on the project in April. The grant will cover about a third of the cost of the concession stand. The remainder of the money is being raised by the Bottineau Baseball Boosters.
"The people in the community have really seen the need for it," said Schmidt, who said that in the past concessions have been sold out of the back of someone's truck in the parking lot. The baseball and softball diamonds are used by more than 225 students from the Peewee League to Babe Ruth. Dakota College at Bottineau also plans to use the diamonds for Ladies Fast Pitch Softball.
Any excess money that is raised by the Bottineau Baseball Boosters will be spent on uniforms and equipment, Schmidt said.
Schmidt said this project will be a good opportunity for the boys in his class, both because they will get experience in building the concession stand but also because they will be able to list the community service on their applications to college. In years to come the boys will be able to look at the concession stand and know that they built something that will be used and enjoyed by people in their community.
"I'd like our boys to feel a sense of accomplishment in our community," Schmidt said.