School officials announced Thursday that Frank and Joanne Pfirman had agreed to donate cash, materials and labor to put a pre-engineered metal structure behind the school. It will house a full-size auxiliary gymnasium, weight room and fitness center, music classroom and locker rooms. A covered walkway will connect the structure to the school.

"Everything that goes into the shell of the building will be donated by the Frank Pfirman family. Then it will be up to us to outfit the building," said Badin Principal Frank Margello. "We're genuinely excited and thrilled this is going to take place. It is so overdue and needed at Badin."

The addition will allow the school to add a wrestling program and provide more space for practices so that students don't have to stay late at night, school officials said.

The value of the project is estimated at $1.2 million, including furnishings, said Badin spokesman Dirk Allen. The school will kick off its "Final $500,000" campaign in the next two weeks to raise money for equipment and furnishings for the center. Architectural and design services are being donated by Ferguson Construction.

The project is the final phase of a fund-raising campaign that began in May. So far, $2.2 million has been raised to pay for rebuilding steps, renovating the chapel and gymnasium, adding science labs, updating the library/resource center and modernizing the Little Theatre. The last of those projects was finished earlier this year, Allen said.

"God works in mysterious ways," Margello said. "We were disappointed recently when plans to build a fitness center and music room addition onto the high school fell through. This is a much better alternative that will meet so many more needs than our original plans."

The Pfirmans - both Badin grads - said they waited until the last of their three children graduated this year before making the offer.

"We saw the need and wanted to do something," Joanne Pfirman said. "We wanted to wait until our kids were out of school."

Groundbreaking is expected before year's end and the facility should be open by the start of the 2005-06 school year, Margello said. It will be named the Pfirman Family Activity Center.

Frank Pfirman, owner of Matandy Steel & Metal Products in Hamilton, was named Hamilton's Citizen of the Year last year and was recently inducted into the school's athletic Hall of Fame.

E-mail suek@infionline.net