7/30/2009 10:03:00 AM Community throws support behind new center
Jerry Guenther/Daily NewsDamon Vogt, who is manager of the new Humphrey Community Center, arranges chairs in the south room, which is about 2,800 square feet and can seat about 200 people.
Jerry Guenther/Daily NewsThe kitchen in the center is positioned so that it can be opened to both the multipurpose room to the south or to the ballroom to the north.
HUMPHREY - There's something exciting about walking into a new building.
Combine a sleek design and modern conveniences with the clean appearance and new smell, and the pulse quickens to see what will be visible around the next corner.
It's no exception here with the Humphrey Community Center. Making it even more meaningful to residents is how it seems just about everybody had a hand in helping to make the new 14,800-square-foot building a reality.
The center, which includes a spacious ballroom that can seat 575 people, will be dedicated Saturday.
Mayor Don Zavadil said it is amazing how the community came together to get the building constructed. And in less than two years, it's nearly paid for.
Along with more than $880,000 in contributions, many residents donated labor or supplies or provided materials at cost.
Take the outside concrete blocks, for example. Melvin Pfeifer and Bill Albracht, both in their 70s, donated all their time and were responsible for more than 90 percent of the labor to lay the bricks, Zavadil said.
When considering the town's population is about 780 people, the monetary contributions average more than $1,000 for each man, woman and child in town.
Zavadil is quick to point out former residents and rural people also contributed, making it a true "community" effort.
Last fall, several farmers would have a wagon of corn harvested from the field taken to the elevator.
"Then they'd just tell them to make the check for the building," Zavadil said.
All that remains to get the building paid for is about $100,000. Along with the $880,000 already raised, the community received a $100,000 grant from the state.
"We just need a little bit more to get it finished up," he said.
Right from the start, residents recognized the need for the building, Zavadil said. The old dance hall burned down about 15 years ago and the city auditorium was too small for many of the events scheduled there.
Previous Mayor Ken McGill began the fund drive for the new building by appointing a committee in September 2007.
The emphasis was on finding something both functional and economical, Zavadil said. Other community centers at West Point and Albion were visited as part of the planning process.
Zavadil said given the rural nature of the community, the center needed to be versatile so that it could hold such events as auctions where tractors or trucks could be brought in, while also being plush enough to accommodate weddings, reunions or anniversaries.
The building includes a start-of-the-art sound system, ramps, a spacious stage that can accommodate honor tables for weddings, a multipurpose room and plenty of parking.
Damon Vogt, manger of the center, said it is booked for nearly every weekend through October.
Vogt said one of the popular features of the building is the large stage, which is handicapped accessible. Not only do bands enjoy it, but wedding parties also like it.
"You put the wedding party up there across the front along with tables of honor with parents and grandparents and then you can leave the dance floor open," Vogt said.
More than 35 events - from exercise classes to family reunions - have been held in it since spring, Vogt said.
Zavadil said one of the only things that remains is a formal name for the building, which could occur with a major donation.
"It hasn't been determined," Zavadil said. "Right now it's just called the Humphrey Community Center. It could change. If someone wants to give us $100,000, we'd gladly put their name on it."
