Schools may scale back athletic plans

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by Jeff Saunders and Eric Marotta

Reporter and Editor

Nordonia Hills -- It's back to the drawing board, but members of the Board of Education have not ruled out another attempt to ask voters for money to upgrade the high school's athletic facilities.

At a May 12 work session, Board members decided the school district may instead ask voters for less money than two previous levy attempts, if scaled-back plans will do.

"I think we're going to have to look at the master plan and modify it, then we can go back to the community with a smaller plan," said Board member Kim Sethna.

After voters rejected 0.5 mill, 22-year bond issues last November and March, the School Board decided it would explore other options. If approved, the bonds would have brought the district $8.5 million for a master plan that would have rebuilt Boliantz Stadium, tennis courts, baseball, softball and soccer fields at the high school. The master plan also calls for construction of added parking and drainage improvements on the high school grounds.

The School Board had also considered volunteer fundraising, but Business Manager Tom Hartman said he is still looking for a consulting firm to aid the district's efforts.

Superintendent Wayne Blankenship said he planned to meet with some concerned residents to see if they can offer fundraising ideas.

Meanwhile, Hartman said he will ask ADA Architects to see if they can scale back the master plan. The consulting firm was hired in 2005 to come up with the master plan on advice of an ad-hoc committee that spent nearly two years developing a strategy for upgrading the athletic facilities.

Board members said it is likely that a revised plan would involve reconstructing everything in place, which would mean sacrificing some or even all of the more than 300 additional parking spaces the master plan calls for.

"I think we'll have to move forward with renovating everything in place," said Board President Carl Ebner.

Board Member Greg Harris said that if a revised plan is enough below the master plan in cost, it may make a difference in getting a levy passed in November.

"If we make some changes and get 400 people to swing our way, maybe that's the way to go," said Harris.

Ebner and Board Member Doug Masteller agreed the Board should look at revising the master plan and then consider another levy attempt in November. Board Member Betty Klingenberg, however, said she believes that after two failed attempts, it may be time to give up on a levy. She said she believes the district will have to prioritize and use whatever funding it can come up with, including $1.8 million that was set aside in 2005 for the project, and do what it can, when it can.

"I think we're beating a dead horse," said Klingenberg. "People have told you they don't care about the master plan."

Ebner said that if the master plan cannot be revised so as to significantly lower costs, he believes that is what the district will have to do.

"We want to see what numbers the architects come up with," he said, adding it may be that the school district will have to make upgrades over several years.

Operating levy foreseen
for 2009

Harris said that if the district does go for an athletic field levy in November, that will be the "last shot," because the district five-year forecast predicts that a new operating levy will need to go before the voters in 2009.

"To put an athletic levy on the ballot in 2009, then go for an operating levy a few months later, I just don't see that," said Harris.

District Treasurer Christopher Wright said May 12 he was still working on a revision of the forecast approved by the Board last October, but expected to have it completed for possible Board approval May 19.

Wright, however, said that the revised forecast appears to be closely in line with the last forecast and added a new levy will be needed in November next year, more than five years after the last operating levy was approved.

"The August 2004 levy is reaching the end of its useful life," said Wright.

E-mail: jsaunders@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3169