The Wave Youth Center Expanding Services with a new facility
The Wave Youth Center has been growing rapidly. We are bursting at the seams and in need of a larger space to continue to provide meaningful programming. However, we are taking a different approach to this project and widening the scope beyond the additional physical space to expand our services and partnerships, and provide indoor recreational space for all that energy students have.
We have taken an innovative approach to the design and function of the center that includes extra space to lease to others, space to rent for events, and eventually include a storefront that will be established through partnerships that acts as an incubator-offering vocational training and rehab. These additions will generate revenue for the youth center as we move towards becoming self-sustaining.
This is not a small endeavor but one we do not have to take on in isolation. Our community is stepping up and helping us move this project forward. Community members have joined us and toured existing sites with us to possibly renovate. After exhausting those possibilities within the safety parameters we have set, they helped create preliminary building designs, met with contractors, landowners, city and county officials, organizations, and created new subcommittees to capitalize on the expertise and professionals within our community. We are excited to share that we recently signed a purchase agreement for land east of the school near the fire department and things are moving along!
The new facility will be over 27,000 square feet. It will include:
- Separate program rooms based on activity, art, computer lab, quiet sensory room, library, hang out/game room, and enrichment activity space.
- 6,400 Sq. Ft of space to lease out
- Commercial Kitchen
- Large recreation and event space for rent
- Eco-friendly design
- Office space for The Wave staff
The goal for this project is to complete the facility debt-free and design a design philosophy that incorporates the following tenets:
- Longevity – The building design and construction should provide a long-term asset to the community that will stand up under time and maintains its looks and function well into the future.
- Reliability – The facility should function without significant expenses or downtime for unforeseen repairs. Similarly, it should enable the owners and operators to accomplish routine maintenance without expensive, time-consuming, or specialized skills.
- Aesthetics – This asset should be a showcase to the community of what can be done when that community puts its mind to a project.
- Economics – Operating costs for the facility should be minimized through efficient design and low environmental impact systems (such as rainwater collection and solar power) that strive to lower both financial and environmental costs.
- Functionality – The facility should, as closely as possible, provide for all the requirements needed to accomplish the mission of the Wave Youth Center.
Committee Members
Molly Schroeder
Co-Lead
Molly is the Founder and President of the youth center. She was raised in Ham Lake Minnesota but moved to the Big Lake area in 1996, got married and started a family. Molly is an experienced and passionate professional committed to this community and the youth. She has two masters degrees specializing in children, youth, mission, and leadership, and she is currently finishing her Doctorate in Transformational Leadership.
Robert K. Eddy
Co-Lead
High School: Big Lake
Baccalaureate Degree: University of Minnesota, Electrical Engineering
Post Graduate Education: St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, Master of Arts in Management, Master of Science in Telecommunications
Occupations: 1974-1985 Westinghouse Engineering, Field Engineer (power systems, oil processing, steel mills, oil refining, etc.)
1985-2009 Sherburne Tele-Systems, President, retired (family owned telecommunications company, sold in 2009)
Hilbert Communications, Green Bay Wisconsin, Board Chair (wireless internet and tower site company)
Dynexus Technology, Board of Directors (large battery life monitoring company)
University of Minnesota interests:
Your University of Minnesota Golden Gopher men’s hockey, women’s hockey, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, volleyball, football teams
Medical School – Endowed Chair in Resuscitation Medicine
Medical School – Mobile Cardiac Cath Lab and ECMO Unit Design Team
Solar Vehicle Project Advisory Committee Chair
School of Public Health – Water in a Box Project (inception phase)
Alumni Association – 201 Legislative Committee Member
Raeanne Danielowski
Committee Member
I am currently the Sherburne County Commissioner serving District 2 – Big Lake Township and City of Big Lake. I have lived in Sherburne County for more than 40 years. My husband, Ervin, and I live in Big Lake. We have two grown children that we raised in this community, and four grandchildren all of whom live close by. For more than 40 years, I have been a business owner in Big Lake, and heavily involved in community service.
Prior to being elected to Sherburne County Board of Commissioners, I served on the Big Lake City Council for 10 years, first as a council member for four years, and then as mayor for six years. Since being elected, I have enjoyed serving the residents of Sherburne County.
I support The Wave Youth Center, because I feel there is a huge need for it in Big Lake for our youth.
Scott Zettervall
Committee Member
Scott Zettervall is a 20yr resident of Big Lake where with his wife Katie, has raised their two sons Zach and Alex. Scott graduated from Monticello High School and attended college at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. Scott has been an IT Professional with over 25yrs experience in Data Networking and Cyber Security. Scott is a former Big lake City Council Member and currently Chairs the City of Big Lake Planning Commission
Bill Hannay
Committee Member