The Deary Recreation Foundation was formed in 2020 as a 501c3 to obtain tax-deductible contributions to support our mission of providing recreational opportunities to the citizens and youth of Deary and its surrounding area. The need for a foundation with 501c3 status became apparent after the Deary Recreation District received a generous property donation from Alan Whitcomb for a youth baseball a
nd soccer field. The Deary Recreation District, from which the foundation began, was created in 1999 by the citizens of Deary and the area because of a need for a Recreational Community Center. The mission of the Recreation District is to accept the challenge to provide management of tax dollars allocated to the Deary Recreation District. The Deary Recreation District and the Deary Recreation Foundation work closely with the City of Deary. The City Clerk oversees the schedule for the Community Center. She collects user agreement forms and distributes keys. City Hall will be an office resource during and after the construction of the Whitcomb Activity field. Recreation and Foundation Directors are in contact with the city and have officers/directors serving as city councilors. For many years, Deary has been without an activity field. Summer youth Baseball program and families must travel 10 miles to Bovill to the nearest Baseball field for practices and to host league games. The city of Deary only has a small T-Ball size field, which is far from the size needed for the participation of all teams older than 5! The Deary School removed its Baseball/ Softball field many years ago to accommodate the relocation of the Football field. Most of our youth reside in or near Deary. Because of a lack of a soccer facility, our youth travel to Troy, a nearby community, to participate. Our Summer Youth Sports Program is operated by volunteers in the Community and is sponsored by the Deary Recreation District. When completed, the Whitcomb Activity Field will be of legal size for Baseball, Softball, and Soccer both for Elementary and High School youth. We hope our High School can now consider having its own Baseball/Softball teams, as our students must drive themselves to Kendrick to participate. In addition, it will also be available to the Community for adult teams. The Deary Recreation District granted $50,000 to the Deary Recreation Foundation and has budgeted $10,000 annually to assist with constructing the Whitcomb Activity Field project. The Whitcomb Activity field project will be completed in several phases. The project's first phase was the establishment of the Deary Recreation Foundation as a vehicle for fundraising for recreational projects within the Community. This initial phase also included obtaining the gifted land and preliminary project site prep. The project's second phase is the initial site design, including the park concept, amenities, cost estimates, and project budget and schedules. The third phase will include the final site design for parking lot design, field sizing and grading, drainage, design, and ditch relocation. The fourth phase will be the infrastructure installation, including rough site grading for the ballfield and parking, parking lot subbase, sewer, water, electric installation, irrigation stubs, temporary turn establishment, construction administration, testing, inspection, and observations. The fifth and final phase will be the final site installations, including the construction of restrooms, concessions pad, building, parking lot, final drainage, final field completion (fine grade, turf installation, backstop installation, benches), landscaping, signage, miscellaneous park fixtures, and final inspections. Volunteers of the Community have already completed the first phase, including clearing the donated property. An approach to the property has already been constructed, and the culverts and catch basins have been purchased. Initial plans of the facility have been drafted showing the existing conditions, site plan, utility plan, grading plan, drainage plan, ball field layout, and restroom/concession plans by HMH Engineering. (See attachment)
Upon completion, the Whitcomb Activity Field will be of legal size to be used for baseball, softball, and soccer for elementary through high school youth, complete with beautiful turf, benches for spectators, bathrooms, concession stands, picnic areas, storage spaces, and ample parking. Plans for the site include adding walking paths and sidewalks. The Deary Recreation Foundation understands the importance of outdoor recreation, physical literacy, and sports for youth within their community. They envision bringing a neighborhood activity field to their city to provide significant physical and social-emotional learning opportunities to their community’s youth. Deary Recreation Foundation believes this facility will enhance the positive outcomes for its youth and its citizens. This project will bring opportunities to its community members through organized sports programs, school athletic programs, vendor opportunities, community growth, and community investment opportunities. It is an "if you build it, they will come" mindset. The communities served by the Deary Recreation Foundation need to house an adequate legal-size athletic field to be used by the school district or community-based recreational groups. The Whitepine Joint School District needs a standalone baseball/softball or soccer program for its students. The school district has a co-op agreement with the Kendrick-Juliaetta School District, Moscow School District, and Troy Schools Districts to allow students to play for their programs. If a Whitepine Joint School District student wishes to enroll in a baseball/softball or soccer program, they are currently traveling at least 10-17 miles to and from an athletic field to participate and do not represent their home school district. The current Deary Youth Sports program, sponsored by the Deary Recreation District, also is forced to travel partnering athletic fields while coordinating schedules and playing time on neighboring districts' facilities. If these facilities are unavailable, the sports programs will practice on non-regulation-size fields. The only baseball field currently housed within the area is a small T-ball-sized field, which is inadequate for older players. Spending time outdoors and in nature and natural light can improve your mood, reduce stress, and reduce the effects of depression. Engaging in physical activity can produce these results and often relaxes a person. Spending time outdoors can also increase a person's self-esteem. Outdoor recreation also fuels an economy. Creating an outdoor recreational facility can create jobs, networking, and a sense of Community and cohesiveness. Sports and Recreation programs are designed to help all youth become physically literate - having the competence, confidence, and intrinsic motivation to be physically active every day. Physical literacy includes affective, social, and cognitive elements that create resilience. Physically literate children are more likely to overcome challenges, obstacles, and adversity in physical and social settings. Children may develop physical literacy by learning various fundamental movement skills that allow them to enjoy physical activity and athletic sports. Without this literacy, youth are far less likely to stay active for life. Sports should be an outlet for kids by giving them a chance to be active, creative, exercise, and learn to fail as much as succeed. Teaching today's youth how to deal with losing is as important as learning to win. Sports can also teach our youth how to overcome injury and performance pressure and balance athletics with school, home, and social life. By building this facility, the Deary Recreation Foundation believe they will see the following outcomes:
1) Increased outdoor and physical activity amongst its community youth and citizens. This outcome will be measured in the facility's usage by community members and various recreational programs.
2) Increased economic opportunities for the Community. This outcome will be measured in the number of partnerships and revenue streams established with the creation of the facility.
3) Establishing the Whitepine Joint School District Baseball, Softball, and Soccer programs. This outcome will be measured in the fruition of these sports programs being created.
4) The establishment of adult city recreation sports leagues. This will be measured in the fruition of these sports programs being created.
