Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

so...

the money is not available at this time.

you don't want to use phsn.

what is your proposed solution?

Rotate 90 degrees

I think what we are all missing here is the lack of planning for ANY kind for an adequate facility for the Tiger Football team and the Tiger Track Team. Not to mention the bands.

Clearly as Katelyn attested to earlier The Tiger Stadium is not big enough. I know it has been this way for years now. So the first question the community and the school board must ask is do we buy land near the Central H.S. or do we expand the Tiger stadium in its current location.

Expanding the Tiger Stadium in its current location means we will tear out some of what we have already spent money on. I believe the Cell tower from At&T would need to be moved and even if the we moved the visitor bleachers to the east further then we would need to tear out the current field and move the field and the track east with the bleachers. If we decided to move everything to the east for an expanded football field it would still mean there would be limitations in the parking areas. Maybe that could be worked out with the city and some joint effort on parking. Mitch and T.J are you listening?

So if there is a huge sentimental value to the Tiger Stadium then maybe we can think outside the box.

So here is a novel thought. I believe in 2004 the school board removed and reinstalled the home bleachers. They also removed and installed the track and replaced it with a 7 lane track. Thinking big those tracks don't last very long like 8 to 10 years. I am also wondering how much or trouble it is to move the bleachers. In a jester of good will toward the Central H. S. I would suggest that they take that one million they saved by changing the design of the new Jr. High and apply it to rotate the tiger stadium 90 degrees and have the baseball field to the east turned into a parking lot.

So those that are directionally challenged I am suggesting putting the end zones one on the east and one on west ends of the stadium. Install new home bleachers along cheap skate alley (north side of the field) (keep the belachers far enough away so that the water balloons from the kids can't hit the opponents buses) and leave the current home bleachers where they are (save expense of moving or tearing down). Put in new visitor bleachers on the south side of the stadium. I would ask that the city pave and maintain the remaining fields to the east where they have the Violet Festival.

Clearly having some of the bleachers in the home end zone is not a bad idea. Remember the ''Dawg Pound'' in Cleveland.

This would solve a number of problems. The boosters could allow the kids to collect parking fees to help with things like new uniforms and band trips. We could expand the parking for not only band contests but regional track meets. The parking if shared by the city could be helpful in the downtown businesses and festivals. I don't know if any of you remember but the City at one time held their fourth of July Festivals in Tiger Stadium. I think if the school planners used their collective heads they could locate the new concession stands so it could be utilized during events like the Violet Festival and 4th of July.

I have heard of a number of issues regarding the Junior High Parking lot. It is poorly designed and maybe would be the justification for a bond levy or other improvements to the parking areas. If any of you have dropped your child off to the Jr High in the mornings you will note the number of cars and buses passing each other in different directions and kids darting in and out. I am afraid it will take a fatality before any actions is taken by the board.

By Oldtimer

The money is there

The money is there but NO ONE ON the board represents the interests of Central and the kids that attend. How d--- long are we going to use this excuse? You are being asked to build a road for the township and leave it for a future sub-division. All of which will use the one million you claim to save on the Jr. High.

Community help

Maybe if we had a very innovated school board they would commit the one million they currently have to a two million fund to re-do the Tiger stadium and then have the boosters go out and ask the community and the city to donate labor and material for the construction of a new stadium and 8 lane track. Clearly a community project like this will require a lot of manual labor.

I am aware of some engineering types that live within the Central boundaries and they could be asked to donate some engineering work. I am also sure that with all of the builders and construction types around here we could round up a back hoe and a bull dozer to grade and lay the field out. I would guess we would need the help of the manufactures to lay the track and erect the bleachers.

For some that are reluctant to donate maybe a huge bill board advertising sign located within the stadium of those that made it all happen.

Don't hold your breathe on this one.