Building is at the heart of downtown
by BETH ALTENA
Staff of Nugent Builders, including past Rockford Rotary President Rick Schroeder, begin work on a remodel of the Rotary Pavilion in downtown Rockford. Sponsorships to the project are still available. To find out more call Rick at Nugent at (616) 866-7663.
Visit downtown Rockford any day of the week and you are likely to find people hanging out in the Rotary Pavilion, reading a book, eating or talking. On any given weekend in the summer—and sometimes in the winter—the building will be the site of an auction for a good cause, a chicken BBQ dinner—coming up quick; buy your tickets from any Rockford Rotarian—a business event, a costume contest, concert and more. The structure, however, has seen better days and is due for a remodel.
Sponsorships for the project are still available, as fundraising for the project has not yet reached the level required. According to Rick Schroeder of Nugent Builders, who is the chair of the project, Rockford Rotary Club has committed $12,000 toward the remodel and so far the community has pledged $5,600.
The building was built on city property 25 years ago and badly needs repairs, a new paint job, and would benefit from a heating system to make it usable year around. Also planned are overhead doors with glass windows for lighting. Currently the building has limited use when the weather turns cold. The club has picked out a weathervane that would add a lot of class and charm, but funding for that has not yet been realized.
“There is a lot we can do if the sponsorships come in,” Schroeder stated.
The Rotary Pavilion needs a paint job, repairs, could use heating and more.
“Mostly what we have done is fix and repair,” said Schroeder. “The cupolas needed work. The paneling needed replacing. We’ve been scraping and prepping for painting.”
Nugent Builders has donated planning and staff hours for the remodel, and Schroeder is sure other area businesses will step up to help fund this project.
The structure is located in the heart of downtown Rockford and is the focal point in so many events held there.
“We are taking donations on a sponsorship level so Rotary can work on this and other projects for the community,” Schroeder stated.
To find out about options, call Schroeder at his work at (616) 866-7663.
In addition to being a sponsor at a gold or silver level, a way any business can help is to purchase Rotary Chicken Dinner tickets for the
This gem in downtown Rockford has been in regular use for 25 years. It is one of many projects brought to you by Rockford Rotary.
Harvest Fest event. All businesses that buy 10 are recognized with their name in the newspaper following the event. At the Squire, it is our tradition to hand them out to employees and other people we appreciate. This is a nice perk for staff and is a good morale builder for a company. Tickets are $9 each, or 10 for $85. The chicken dinner is coming right up on Friday, Saturday and Sunday September 23, 24 and 25. The dinner is always a generous and delicious one, and is the club’s largest fundraiser for the year. Call for more information or grab any Rotarian and buy tickets. You will feel good knowing you are contributing toward keeping downtown Rockford and the pavilion up to the high standards for which Rockford is known.
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