Today a new memorial stone was set at a building still under construction at the Arnie Wolff Sports Complex in Green Bay.
Lt. Wolff was a fire fighter with the Green Bay Metro Department, killed in August of 2006 while responding to a house fire. A floor collapsed in that home, trapping Wolff in the basement. He was the first fire fighter to die in the line of duty in Green Bay.
A soccer lover and active coach for his kids, Wolff was on the board of the Strikers Soccer Club. After his passing, Green Bay City Council named a parcel of land that had been set aside for a sports complex in his honor, and now the group is continuing to develop plans for the space. A new building on the property is the designated place for Wolff's stone.
The Strikers have been working for about a decade to develop the facility and recently construction was halted on the new building as they didn't have the funds for both materials and labor. A call to the local fire fighters sparked action. Now fire fighters, the Green Bay mason's union and the NWTC apprenticeship program are all working together to finish the project with little help from taxpayer money.
This stone will help Wolff's legacy continue, as well as the re-evaluation of future construction projects since failed trusses contributed to his death. Wolff's death is continually used as a case study for fire departments around the country and they continue to learn from the experience.
Lt. Wolff will always be remembered as a hero among a family of men and women who serve our local communities.
Once complete, the new building will be used for concessions and rest rooms and storage.
