Donor-funded gym meets massive milestones
SALMON, Idaho (KIDK-KIDK) - Progress is underway on Salmon School District's multi-million dollar gym. Since ground was broken in March, intensive infrastructure has put in place to support plumbing and electrical utilities, and the foundation has been laid, consisting of 450 cubic yards of concrete.
Just the main floor of the building will measure over 31,000 square feet. Perhaps more impressive than the building's scale, though, is that it will not cost the Salmon School District a single dollar.
About half of the project is being paid for by a single donor: Nep Lynch. Lynch now lives in Montana, but he has had a vested interest in the Salmon community since he began his successful logging career there decades ago. Lynch, now 95 years old, is putting over 2.5-million dollars into the new gym, and has been an active participant in creating plans to see the project through.
Building Committee Co-chair Bill Allen says the community and businesses throughout the region have also made substantial contributions. "By the time we add up all the donated help, and additional funds from the Lynch family," Allen said. "The project price is bouncing around 4.5 to 5-million dollars."
Another major contributor, R&M Steel out of Caldwell, is donating the entire steel structure of the building, and shipping it to the site free of charge.
Building Committee Member Jim Bob Infanger says it's hard to keep track of all those who have contributed to the project. "It's really a barn raising like used to see decades ago," says Infanger.
A comprehensive list of donors and contributors is listed on the project website. Once completed, the gym will bear the name of it's biggest benefactors and be known as the "Nep and Mary Ellen Lynch Center."
