$133,000 Edwin J. Wadas Grant Awarded to Town of Webb
George Hiltebrant Recreation Center Awarded Grant By Edwin J. Wadas Foundation
The George Hiltebrant Recreation Center Complex Committee is excited to announce that the Town of Webb has been awarded a grant in the amount of $133,546 through the Edwin J. Wadas Foundation to help update the use of the George T. Hiltebrant pavilion as a place for youth sports. This project was coordinated with the express purpose of increasing year-round usage of the building for sports, which currently is underutilized as a community asset for the school-age population of the area. The Edwin J. Wadas Foundation, has a mission of supporting youth sports in Oneida and Herkimer counties. Special thanks to the organization for all of the work that they do and for making this project a reality.
The George T. Hiltebrant Recreation Center, built in 2001, has up until this point been largely used as an events center and as such has only needed concrete flooring. The grant funding received will completely fund the installation of padded walls and new multi-sport use flooring. Additionally funded is the purchase of new sports equipment. The end result will be a functional indoor sports facility with a full soccer field, two basketball courts, a volleyball court and a pickle-ball court that can be set up in the building. It is the hope of the Town of Webb that this will become a town asset to children and families year-round giving families a destination space for exercise and group sports during the winter and mud seasons.
The project was planned and spearheaded by Town of Webb Board Member Tom Greco, with guidance from the George T. Hiltebrant Recreation Center Committee. The committee was appointed by Town of Webb Supervisor Bonnie Baker and the Town of Webb Board to pursue the grant. The committee is chaired by Kyle Lindsay with members Jackie Englert [Town of Webb Recreation] and Dan KieferBach [LivingADK]. Additional support for the project to the grant committee was given by the Central Adirondack Association.
In addition, a very special thanks must be reserved for Wadas Foundation Executive Director Vicki Cataldo for her enthusiasm, optimism and spirit as well as to Little Falls Mayor Mark Blask for his guidance.
The Town of Webb hopes to have the installation completed before the end of the summer, with work slated to only take a few days before it is accessible to the community. Details will be forthcoming about usage of the building once the work is completed. The Town of Webb and the George T. Hiltebrant Recreation Center Committee will continue to work to increase usage and expand this valuable asset to serve our children within our community. This expansion is also part of larger ongoing efforts to improve the Central Adirondack Regional Corridor as a year-round home for children and families.
