Iowa lottery winners to fund new stadium if visitor's room is painted pink
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa couple who won a $202 million Powerball jackpot in September is donating $3 million to their son's high school for a new football stadium - but the gift comes with a catch.
The facility visitor's locker must be painted pink.
The Bondurant-Farrar school district accepted the $3 million donation from Brian and Mary Lohse on Monday, The Des Moines Register reported. The couple from the Des Moines suburb of Bondurant requested only that the new stadium be completed before the fall 2014 football season - their oldest son's senior year - and that the visiting team's locker room be painted pink.
"I was sort of half joking and half not, I suppose, but they said they'd do it," Mary Lohse said of her scheme, inspired by the University of Iowa visitor's locker room, which is also painted pink.
"It's supposed to put them in a certain soft frame of mind," Mary Lohse said. "It will certainly give all the players something to talk about."
The Lohse family has requested the stadium not be named for them. The Lohses' hope the stadium will be a community project and that local residents and groups will make other contributions.
Planning for the stadium has already begun. Local architects SVPA are handling the design. The stadium will include an academic wing and a fine arts auditorium.
"It not only gives us the opportunity to accelerate the stadium project, but to advance other plans for projects within the district as well," school board President Kristin Swift said.
The $3 million for the stadium will be released in three, $1 million increments.
The facility visitor's locker must be painted pink.
The Bondurant-Farrar school district accepted the $3 million donation from Brian and Mary Lohse on Monday, The Des Moines Register reported. The couple from the Des Moines suburb of Bondurant requested only that the new stadium be completed before the fall 2014 football season - their oldest son's senior year - and that the visiting team's locker room be painted pink.
"I was sort of half joking and half not, I suppose, but they said they'd do it," Mary Lohse said of her scheme, inspired by the University of Iowa visitor's locker room, which is also painted pink.
"It's supposed to put them in a certain soft frame of mind," Mary Lohse said. "It will certainly give all the players something to talk about."
The Lohse family has requested the stadium not be named for them. The Lohses' hope the stadium will be a community project and that local residents and groups will make other contributions.
Planning for the stadium has already begun. Local architects SVPA are handling the design. The stadium will include an academic wing and a fine arts auditorium.
"It not only gives us the opportunity to accelerate the stadium project, but to advance other plans for projects within the district as well," school board President Kristin Swift said.
The $3 million for the stadium will be released in three, $1 million increments.
KOMOÂ Why is this nice story in offbeat news?
Wow, Iowa made the news, I'm impressed
The University of Iowa also has the visitors locker room painted pink. Not sure why they didn't put that in the article.
 @antiflag I read that fact in the article. Â
Just wait. There will be a lawsuit against them and/or the school about how the color is degrading to the visiting team and is causing them to feel inferior and discriminated against. No good deed goes unpunished.
I like how they donated it to the school and the idea about painting the visitors locker room pink is hilarious.
Great idea! As opposed to plastering soda vendor names etc all over the stadium- Novel approach. Kudos to the Lohse's.
Now THAT'S the way to deligate lottery winnings!Â
Sure beats the usual "...well, we're going to travel some, give some to our grandkids to help them pay for college, maybe buy a car, blah, blah, blah.."