'Bringing The Nick inside': Volunteers help create year-round rec complex in Wolfeboro

WOLFEBORO — A recreational complex is nearing its metaphorical capstone: a large, indoor athletic and activities complex.

The Nick, located at 10 Trotting Track Road, is a large recreational facility which plays host to community sports, and will soon include an indoor facility, “bringing The Nick inside.” Construction on the project, funded by community contributions to the tune of $10.7 million, is already underway. 

The Nick’s executive director and owner’s representative on the project Holly Williams Aucoin is leading the charge, with help from a host of dedicated board members. Next winter, while most recreational spaces go unused due to weather conditions, the new indoor facility at The Nick will open, at the 20-year mark.

“This is the last winter,” Williams Aucoin said, without it.

Original organizers presented a proposal to the town planning board for a 32-acre outdoor facility, which included the footprint for a future indoor facility, in 1998. The original organization was formed to meet the recreational needs of the community, particular fields for baseball, lacrosse and soccer, and a running track.

The land was purchased and donated to the organization by the Pernokas family. Tom O’Brien was board chair at the time. The first game there was played in 2006, and 2007 was the facility’s first full year of operations.

A citizens group was formed in 1999, later known as the Wolfeboro Area Recreation Association. This group solicited funding, received the gifted land and drew up the original plans for the Nicholas J. Pernokas Recreational Park.

“That’s where this all got started,” Williams Aucoin said. 

She joined the organization in 2009. They conducted a feasibility study regarding the indoor facility in 2023, and reached out to 18 key supporters for feedback.  

“They were so excited, and agreed with the need,” she said. Some started giving financial support before they launched a campaign.

The Nick, a nonprofit organization, is independent from the town. They work symbiotically — while the town’s parks & rec department operates their own facilities, they also use The Nick. And sports leagues use it, too, for lacrosse, soccer, and track and field, to name a few.

“It’s more of a need than it’s ever been,” Williams Aucoin said of an indoor facility.

“The Nick has allowed these leagues to really thrive.”

The 22,000-square-foot design is now 33,500 square feet when all is said and done, and includes an indoor track upstairs. The idea to include the indoor track came by way of donor Dana Hamel. Leaders at The Nick realized that idea could become reality after an anonymous donor contributed $1 million to the effort, and Williams Aucoin noted the amenity will make the facility that much more usable.

By lifting the track, there will be more space on the ground floor for other activities. The indoor facility itself will afford The Nick around four more months of use throughout the year, for things like kids tumbling, ballet, aerobics, basketball and running.

A 31,250-square-foot, multi-use court will be lined with two middle school-sized basketball courts, one half basketball court, two tennis courts and three pickleball courts. They’ll also have two multi-purpose rooms, restrooms and an accessible elevator.

“The ‘why’ behind this project is to bring The Nick indoors,” Williams Aucoin said.

The track itself will be named after Williams Aucoin, and the lobby after Alex Hunt, who served on the board for nine years and played a large role in getting the project off the ground. Other areas are also expected to be named in honor of supporters.

“Had he not laid the runway, this project would not be something we could have considered,” Williams Aucoin said.

“This is a community project,” she said. “The stars aligned in every instance.”

Steve Webster, volunteer clerk of the works at the site, said there aren’t many facilities like this one around.

“It’s 165 tons of steel,” Webster said while displaying images of the facility while under construction. “This is a single column that weighs 5,000 pounds.”

A crane which reaches 147 feet high, more than enough to deal with 26-foot pitches, is an example of the scale of the project.

“We like to go big,” he said.

The investment from the community into the project and local youth for no personal gain means a lot to Williams Aucoin.

Anyone interested in learning more about the project should contact Williams Aucoin directly at holly@thenick.org.

“I am humbled and in awe,” she said. “I can’t even wrap my head around the generosity from this community.”