4-K Students enjoyed an early fall snowfall at the school forest in late October.

FOR THE ANTIGO TIMES

After 2 years of planning and fundraising, construction has begun on the Lodge at Noboken School Forest.  The Antigo School District has been working on developing a new environmental center at the Noboken School Forest.  The new facility will provide year-round access to the school forest for students, teachers and staff, and the community to more fully utilize the school forest.  The school forest committee is in the process of developing more curricular materials to assist teachers in engaging, hands-on, outdoor experiences that will increase students’ knowledge, awareness and appreciation of our natural resources.  The new lodge will provide the necessary infrastructure to make better use of the school forest.

Construction of the lodge, which is located on the shore of Noboken Lake on Hwy. J, north of Antigo, began in late September.  The site has been prepared, the foundation and floor have been poured and septic and other utility hook-ups are in place.  The school district would like to thank County Materials and the Sonnentag Foundation for their donation of the concrete for this project.

The anticipated finish date is spring of 2021 with the building being fully utilized beginning with the 2021-22 school year.  The building will also be available for community use following the school district’s facility use policies and procedures.

Additional funds are still needed to finish and furnish the building.  Donations can be directed to the Unified School District of Antigo – 120 S. Dorr St., Antigo or through the GoFundMe Charity site linked in the school district Facebook page and website or by typing this address into your web browser: http://charity.gofundme.com/environmental-education-center

For more information, you can contact Tim Prunty, 715-627-4355 or Mike Werdeo, 715-623-7611

4-K Students enjoyed an early fall snowfall at the school forest in late October.