Which is one of the reasons so many people in Tonganoxie have come together to make dreams of a new multipurpose complex for Tonganoxie schools a reality.

The complex, which includes the football field, grand stand, press box and multipurpose building, will be officially dedicated Friday.

“Children haven’t been able to shower for 15 years or so,” said Debbie Breuer, a member of a committee formed to make the multipurpose facility a reality.

“This is something that’s just way, way overdue,” she said. “Nothing’s been done since the school was built in the 1960s.”

But showering facilities were just one of the needs that the new complex, and specifically the building, was built to address.

One problem was that there were not adequate locker rooms near the football field.

“The other one was old, small and just not adequate for athletes,” said Tonganoxie Superintendent Richard Erickson.

The opening of the new building will also solve a delimma for the wrestling team, which has had to use a building at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds for practices.

The multipurpose building has a large, open room that the team can use for practices.

That room will also be used for a variety of other activities, including community and senior citizen activities coordinated by the Tonganoxie Recreation Commission.

The new building also houses a weight room, which will, oddly enough, cause the opening of a Spanish classroom.

Until this year, the weight room used by high school and junior high athletes has been at the junior high.

Now that it’s been moved to the multipurpose building, the one at the junior high is being removed, allowing the school to open the Spanish classroom in its place.

Although the multipurpose building fixes many things that needed fixing, there’s more to the whole complex than just the building. New bleachers, new lighting, a new track, cordless microphones for officials and an elevator to the press box are just a few of the frills that come with the new complex.

However, none of this has been easy or cheap. The complex comes with a $860,000 price tag.

Erickson said that without the support, donations and work of countless community members, this complex would never have been completed.

“It’s really been a community effort,” he said. “I’m really thankful to everyone who devoted themselves to this.”

Tonganoxie High School Athletics Director John Lee said that one man who continues to give himself to Chieftain sports is former football coach Steve Hughes, who retired from coaching last year. Hughes, who coached the Chieftains for more than a decade, hasn’t stopped. For months Hughes has been at the field showing that true commitment to a team never ends.

Hughes has been involved with the building process from the planning to the construction.

He goes to the committee meetings, but has also put up more than his share of drywall. Lee said that Hughes basically built the press box himself.

“I don’t know if we would have any of this if it wasn’t for Steve,” Lee said. “He’s a great role model and still has a great commitment to the team we really appreciate his hard work.”

Erickson said the complex would have cost $1.5 million, but that donated time and materials saved the district the other $600,000.

Much of the $860,000 cost will be covered by a $500,000 interest-free loan from a local bank.

“First State Bank has been very supportive of the district,” Erickson said. “They were willing to provide most of the money for the multipurpose building.”

The district will repay the money at an annual rate of $125,000 for four years.