Perrysburg school district welcomes athletic center

The new Huskisson Athletic Center on the Perrysburg Junior High School campus includes offices for the coaches, a weight room, locker rooms, and updated concession stands.

The new locker room in the Huskisson Athletic Center was filled with excited students, community members, and Perrysburg School District employees, but nobody was as excited as head football coach Matt Kregel.

“People have been asking me ‘Are you ready? Are you ready?’” the coach said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new athletic facility for Perrysburg High School. “I’ve been ready since last August. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep tonight.”

The $2 million facility, which features three locker rooms, a weight room, a training room, home and away concession stands, locker rooms for officials, and a media room on its first floor, opened Wednesday.

“Just imagine all the winning celebrations that will be taking place right here in this center,” Perrysburg Superintendent Tom Hosler said. “We will be celebrating in the Huskisson Center for generations to come.”

The project was largely funded through private donations. “If these types of partnerships were easy, every school district would be doing them,” Mr. Hosler said. “But they’re not easy.”

Jeff Abke, the director of development, said about $1.5 million of the $2 million price tag was raised through private donations. A second phase of the project, focused on adding two classrooms, a kitchenette, bathrooms, and an elevator, is waiting on an additional $500,000.

“Ideally, we’d raise all of it,” Mr. Abke said, but there is no set goal or timeline for the construction.

The building was originally slated to open in September, but construction delays pushed back the opening.

Contact Zack Lemon at: zlemon@theblade.com, 419-724-6282, or on Twitter @zack_lemon.