For Immediate Release
Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing and PR Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: November 8, 2022
Students put skills to work at Fennimore field (video)
Fennimore -
CUTLINE: The students stand in front of one of their finished projects – a dugout at Volunteer Field in Fennimore. (L-R) Lizzy Husker, Muscoda; Christian Turner, Black Earth; Lucas Lendosky, Fennimore; A.J. Davis, Fennimore; Ethan Wastlick, Lone Rock; Dillon Gurske, Prairie du Chien; and Andy Reynolds, instructor.
The Fennimore community will soon benefit from work being done by Southwest Wisconsin Technical College students. Throughout the semester, students in the Building Trades – Carpentry program have been working on two projects at Volunteer Field. They completed residing a dugout at one of the ball fields and they are currently building a 10-feet by 10-feet storage shed.
The projects are a win-win for everyone. The community gets upgraded facilities and the students get practical experience. “They get rambunctious and they don’t want to be in class and I don’t blame them,” said Andy Reynolds, Building Trades – Carpentry instructor. “I have always been in the field my whole life and it is great to get out and work in the field. They learn a lot out here.”
The dugout structure was already built. The students trimmed it and installed the siding. They also built the walls between the posts. Prior to siding the dugout, the students made sure the current structure was sound. “The kids were having problems with the wind blowing down here,” said Reynolds. “We built a four-foot wall to shut that up and trimmed it out. We trimmed the ceiling out to keep the bugs out so we don’t have a bee issue for the kids. It turned out pretty good.”
The students used smart board siding for the project, a popular new product, along with steel on the roof. They’re using vinyl siding on the shed, as well as shingles for the roof. “Smart board siding requires a lot of caulking,” said Reynolds. “Everything has to be gapped a little bit for expansion and contraction for the weather.”
“It was fun,” said Dillon Gurske, a student from Prairie du Chien, talking about the dugout project. “It was good to get hands-on experience and to be outside at the same time.”
“It’s nice to be able to help everyone and to know that we built it and everyone who uses it to see how they work with it,” said Lucas Lendosky, a student from Fennimore.
“I hope we continue doing other stuff like this, for sure,” added Gurske. “I like being outside.”
Reynolds is hopeful he will have outside projects for the students in the spring. In the meantime, during the winter, the students will be working on modular units inside on campus.
Materials for the dugout project were paid for through the Derek Lendosky Memorial Fund in 2015, while the new storage shed is being funded through the Do It For Derek Foundation.
The materials have been available, however, the only thing missing was the labor. “We had all the materials sitting in storage since that time and hadn’t gotten back to doing it,” said Steve Lendosky, who established the memorial fund and the foundation in honor of his son, Derek, who passed away in 2013.
Lendosky explained the field has many family memories tied to it. He and his sons spent many hours at the field when they were younger. In addition, his son Lucas has helped with the upkeep and renovations to the field. Lucas is currently enrolled in the Building Trades – Carpentry program at Southwest Tech and he has been working on the most recent projects, as well. “From the start it’s always been a piece of our family,” said Steve. “And I think Lucas appreciates being able to have the opportunity to continue to make improvements there. He’s done a lot of stuff on that field.”
“My kids have been part of that park since the day it was created,” added Steve.
According to Reynolds, the shed is expected to be completed soon.
