Looking back in Thanks...and Ahead with Anticipation

As 2012 comes to a close, we at RCAF are in awe of our community and the power of giving, both in-kind and monetarily.  Your support during the past year has made a life-changing difference for the students of Ripon schools in an amazing and positive way.

2013 holds our vision of completion of Phase One of the Stadium Revitalization in the coming spring in time for track season. Please consider using the last chance in this calendar year to make a tax-deductible donation to RCAF.  You can make a lasting impression in someone's name with a stadium brick.  Or get a head start on a New Year's resolution of health by registering for the 2013 Rina's Run.  Your gift this holiday season will make a huge difference next year for the community we serve and is truly the gift that keeps on giving!  Happy Holidays!

In 2007, the Ripon Community Athletic Foundation (RCAF) was formed as a non-profit to start a grassroots capital campaign. Our goal was to bring a regulation length track to our town for the first time since the 80’s, as well as sidewalks and a field that would bring our “homeless” soccer teams home to their own campus for the first time. Over 564 donors and volunteers have partnered with RCAF to bring us SO CLOSE to finishing Phase One of a new track and field plus infrastructure for future phases.

Demolition began May 24, 2012…Approximately $1 million in donated improvements later, we now see this...

For the first time, this 70+ year old facility has side-walks for easier accessibility. A $100,000 double-sided scoreboard donated by PG&E is a beautiful centerpiece as well.  But notice the D-shaped asphalt spaces behind the end-zones?  RCAF needs $45,000 by January 15, 2013 to install all- weather surfacing there in time for the Track Team to start practicing in February 1, 2013.

By Tracy Correa
POSTED August 31, 2012 / News and Perspectives from Pacific Gas and Electric Company September 5, 2014

‘Ready to go’

“Everything is ready to go. We’ve had several practice runs over the past few days,” said Stephanie Hobbs, president of the Ripon Community Athletic Foundation. She said the primary concern was making sure the system operators practiced using the LED screen.

She said the scoreboard is the focal point in the stadium renovation and would not have been possible without help from PG&E. In addition to the $87,000 to build the scoreboard, PG&E purchased the steel used to support it and supplied the crews to install it – bringing the total donation to more than $100,000.

“PG&E went way above and beyond, they absolutely knocked my socks off,” said Hobbs. “I can’t say enough about their generosity, their professionalism and their positive can-do attitude. … And, for catching that vision of understanding how much the scoreboard will benefit the entire community.”

Last week, crews from PG&E’s tower department worked over several days setting the scoreboard in place. They set the support I-beams 20 feet into the ground with concrete, welded steel supports and installed the double-sided scoreboard — which had 10 different panels.

“They were amazing,” said Hobbs, of PG&E workers led by Glenn Price.

PG&E’s relationship with Ripon

PG&E’s Dylan George, a government relations representative who worked with the Ripon Community Athletic Foundation on the scoreboard project, said he was proud of the work by PG&E crews. He said he is equally impressed by the entire Ripon community.

The D-shaped space behind the endzones are incomplete. They obviously need 300 tons of asphalt to prepare for the next step. The most urgent aspect is the outer curb (being poured Saturday 8/11) with fence posts. We need $16,000 for fencing. We are working diligently to install a concrete sidewalk from the ticket booths to the bleachers. This sidewalk will make access for spectators much safer and cleaner. The concrete pad you see being poured in this picture is a performance pad for the Quarterback Club TriTip BBQ and the Clerk of the Course for track meets. You can see we've taken down the old scoreboard and flagpole. We will not have a flagpole installed for the first game, but hope to install it soon thereafter.

Joe Burth, Burth Electric (checkout burthelectric.com )  has been working hard on finishing the electrical in the field house for us. We appreciate his long-term commitment to this project.

Chad DeGraff of DeGraff Development (checkout degraffdevelopment.com ) arranged to have all the insulation donated, as well as the HighLift rental. He has also given us a couple free days use of his crew and his crew (Aaron Santos & Alex O.) kindly agreed to come on Saturday, as volunteers, to help us finish.

Rick Hogan, Hogan Drywall, took care of sheetrocking the fieldhouse.

Leif of Therm-All Insulation in Stockton ( www.therma-all.com ) donated $630 of insulation and tape

Steve Bickle & Chad Meems from Gate or Door donated their services to remove and reinstall the huge garage doors

Burkett's (checkout burkettspoolplastering.com) donated a crew/equipment for the shotput/discus & batting cage pad demolish

Keith Haines and Vince Hobbs rehung the batting cage cables

It took a lot of volunteers to get all that done! Thank you to the following people who gave up a part of their vacation to help out!

Scotty and Elizabeth Williams, T.J. Hobbs, Luke Hobbs & Cristian Spence, Josh Fredriksz, Scott Ambrose, Chad DeGraff & his crew Aaron and Alex, Devon Shirk, Sarah Ambrose, Paul Calkins, Ernie Tyhurst, Steve Bickle & Chad Meems, Wesley Mohler, Cami Gioffre & kids, Matthew & Michael Ysit, Sarah, John, Hart, and Reed Yoshida, Eli Day, Kristy Carlson and family, Louie Fredriksz, Melissa, Branden, & Malery States, Bert & Robert Lo

Great news!

DSA (the Department of the State Architect) has approved our shot-put and discus locations. This means we can order and install these two events in time for track season and move full-speed-ahead on the track and field revitalization construction!

SSJID (checkout www.ssjid.com ) and Building Dreams Foundation have donated $1,000 cash towards the shotput and discus events. These items must be installed this winter before the next track season so we are grateful for their help.