Juel Kuckenmeister, 13, is looking forward to having volleyball practice in a new gym, instead of hopping around to different gyms around Carson City.
The Carson City Middle School teen is an outside left hitter with the Capital City Volleyball Club, which has trained girls aged 12 to 18 in volleyball fundamentals for five years.
"I love it and I've improved immensely," said Juel, a club member for two years. She looks forward to the day when her team can have a consistent place to practice.
"It'll be so much easier because we have to rent out a gym now and we'd have our own equipment to practice with," she said Tuesday.
The 12,000-square-foot youth-sports center will be built across from the Bureau of Land Management office on Morgan Mill Road, near the intersection of North Deer Run Road. The contractor is M&K Builders of Minden. Rob Lauder, principal with Palmer & Lauder Engineers said construction should begin in April.
Mike Reeder, a gaming consultant with High Sierra Financial, based in Zephyr Cove, is leading the effort to build a new gym.
"My daughters play volleyball and this year we didn't have any place to play," he said.
Club members had practiced at a warehouse on Highway 50, but the owners decided to use the space for business, so Reeder began looking for another location. The community center was booked 100 percent. The school gyms were also taken, and the club needs 24 hours a week of practice time for the teams.
"After looking around and talking to lots of people we decided that we need another facility in Carson City," Reeder said.
He said the gym is a family venture, privately financed and should cost about $600,000. Escrow closed three weeks ago on the 11Ú2-acre property across from the river. It will contain two 30-by-60-foot volleyball courts with padded floors, stands, a locker room and a mezzanine for parents.
Reeder also hopes to put an exercise room inside the gym for the kids. The gym space can be arranged to fit other sports, such as soccer. It will have 54 parking spaces. The club is receiving bids from two prefabricated metal building companies in Modesto, Calif., and in Reno.
Reeder said the goal is to build a club that can compete with California teams, and get more girls interested in the sport. He said this is a worthy venture because sports are so beneficial to girls.
Jennifer Pruitt, Carson City associate planner, said the plan is in accordance with the general industrial zoning in that area of Carson City.
"Their next step is to revise the plan and submit it for a building permit," she said.
Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.
Volleyball Club
The Capital City Volleyball Club is a member of the Northern California Volleyball Association, which is a member of USA Volleyball, the governing organization for amateur volleyball in the United States.
The club finished third at the 2002 U.S. Junior Olympic National Championship in the 17's Division.
It's organizing six to eight girls' teams and adding three to four boys' teams by the summer.
For information, go to www.capitalcityvbc.com or call 530-307-2538.
