Update on The Warehouse

Nearly half of all young athletes now train year-round for their sport. For many families though, travel teams and indoor training facilities have been out of reach for any number of reasons.
Thats what got a group of locals also baseball players, coaches, and community-minded individuals dreaming last summer. What would a year-round training facility look like? How hard would it be to pull one together?
Turns out, the dreaming is over. Work is now underway in the heart of Flandreau on The Warehouse, a new indoor recreational facility and gym. Thanks to in-kind work from Loiseau Construction, among others, the pad is already in place.
The goal is simple: give area youth more opportunities to train close to home. Organizers say they want every child to have access to programs their peers often travel out of town for, so they dont fall behind in a world where college-level scholarships and advanced athletic opportunities are now the expectation.
Plans for the facility include indoor baseball and softball practice areas, volleyball and wrestling space, and an independent weight room with its own exterior entrance. It will also be available for community events and rentals.
A video created by Flandreau graduate Madeline Hursey offers the public a first look at whats to come. City Council last month approved a conditional use permit to allow construction in what is otherwise a residential district. With approvals in place, organizers now face a short timeline to secure final funding and bring the project to life.
While theres still money to raise, the project has seen strong support.
In-kind construction and cash commitments are what made us believe this project could become a reality. We have had cash commitments come as lump sums towards the construction of the facility, with multiple of those pledged on an annual basis to help with operating costs, said Bret Severtson.
We currently have raised about $560,000 in in-kind and cash commitments. Those have all been locally secured funds with a handful of grant applications being submitted and waiting for responses. $750,000 is our estimated cost for phase one of the project. That includes the purchase of the land as well as construction to completion.
Updates are being shared on the Baseball Associations Facebook page. For more information, contact Bret Severtson at (605) 864-1343 or Eric Beltman at (605) 680-0818, who are tracking commitments for the project.