BROOKFIELD – St. Dominic Parish recently marked the completion of an athletic facility and the conversion of its former gym into an arts and activities center.2011OctPAFHerda-15EDITA new 12,000-square athletic facility at St. Dominic Parish, Brookfield, features side-by-side basketball/volleyball competition courts and four basketball and three volleyball practice courts. A newly designed St. Dominic Knight logo highlights the gym’s maple floor. The new gym, and the conversion of the former gym into an arts and activities center cost $4.125 million, money raised through the Faith in Our Future campaign, a previous capital campaign and parishioner donations. (Submittted photos courtesy St. Dominic Parish, Brookfield)

Auxiliary Bishop Donald J. Hying blessed the facilities following the 9 a.m. Mass Oct. 30. Also on hand for the blessing were pastor, Fr. David Reith and associate pastor Fr. Sean O’Connell.

The new gym and arts and activities center completed what the parish is calling phase one of the Master Plan for Capital Improvements.

That phase commenced last year with a major renovation of the interior of St. Dominic Church. Cost for the three phase one projects was $4.125 million, according to Rich Harter, pastoral associate for administrative services and adult/family ministry at the 2,013-household, 6,675-member parish.

Funding sources included the Faith in Our Future campaign and many parishioner donations. Funds from a previous capital campaign were also utilized, according to Harter.

“The response to the three … facilities has been overwhelmingly positive,” Harter told your Catholic Herald. DSC_8892EDIT

“People are very happy with the outcome of all three phase one projects and are especially excited for how these campus improvements will serve and expand the mission and ministries of the parish.” Phase one also included redesign of the parish grounds at 18255 W. Capitol Drive, with added parking, cement walkways and landscaping.

The athletic facility is 12,000 square feet and boasts side-by-side basketball/volleyball competition courts, as well as four basketball and three volleyball practice courts. The structure includes offices, team rooms, restrooms, storage rooms, a lobby, four scoreboards and a sound system. A newly designed St. Dominic Knight logo highlights the gym’s maple floor.

Built in 1956, when the longtime mission congregation first achieved parish status, the arts and activity center originally served as worship space.

With the construction of the current church in 1981, it was converted to a gym. Harter noted the center “was created to foster growth in our existing programs of drama, art, band, strings, choral performance, Lifelong Faith Formation.… It is also designed to provide multipurpose space for presentations and large gatherings” involving the parish and its K3-8 school of slightly more than 400 pupils.

The renovated structure has a 25’x 25’ stage, stage lighting, stage prep areas and ramp, sound system with digital mixing board, retractable video screen, band practice room and tile floor treatment that integrates the school colors into the space. Eventually, a video projector and recording equipment will be installed. Both the center and the athletic facility are air-conditioned.

Moore Construction Services and CG Schmidt, firms owned by St. Dominic parishioners, managed construction. Harter noted that subsequent “phases of the Master Plan for Capital Improvements include an expanded church narthex, a school addition and renovations to the existing Marcy Center meeting/gathering space below the church.

While these additional phases are on our planning horizon and have been approved in concept by the City of Brookfield, there is no specific timeline for their completion.”

Harter added that St. Dominic’s 50th anniversary as a parish five years ago occasioned a “visioning/planning process … which involved input from parish members on a wide variety of key areas of parish life.” One result was the Master Plan for Capital Improvements.