Stahl floats facilities upgrades

Fort Recovery Local Schools may be upgrading its football and track facilities.

Superintendent Tony Stahl shared goals and a proposal from architectural firm Garmann Miller for renovations to Barrenbrugge Athletic Park during Fort Recovery School Board’s meeting Monday.

Stahl explained the project, which would be done in collaboration with community stakeholders such as Fort Recovery Athletic Boosters, could be split into three phases. The first phase could involve removing the current ticket booth on the northeast side of the field and building a new facility on the north side of the concessions and restroom building. It could include space for referees and other general storage.

The second phase could involve relocating the visitors’ locker room to the northeast corner where the current ticket booth sits and expanding the existing locker rooms to add a student training and medical facility as well as additional storage.

The last phase could involve other projects, such as replacing lights or resurfacing the track.

High school principal Ryan Steinbrunner pointed to a need for additional space for coaches and the athletic trainer, as well as a desire to separate teams’ locker rooms to avoid potential conflict. Middle school principal Holly Gann — she previously served as athletics director — also noted the need for referees to have their own space.

Garmann Miller’s proposal to conduct a feasibility study is estimated at $15,000, along with an additional $9,600 for a construction site survey. Its services could include preliminary site and building designs, creating a probable cost budget and sketching renderings.

Stahl noted he wasn’t looking for a decision Monday but wanted to share details about the project with school board.

Connor Rammel of Fort Recovery Athletic Boosters explained that having a feasibility study done was helpful amid building the LeFevre Family Baseball and Softball Complex. He noted the group supports the project.

“I think we established at a Booster meeting that we’d like the school to kind of take the ball and run with it, and we’ll support in whatever we can monetarily,” he said.

School board member Sean Kahlig asked how much the upgrades will cost, with Stahl explaining those figures haven’t been determined yet.

Steinbrunner noted the project doesn’t have to be completed in the order of the phases listed Monday. He thanked Fort Recovery Athletic Boosters for their support.

“With the support of the Boosters and sharing that vision, I think that these (goals) are all obtainable here in the coming years,” he said.

Also, Stahl noted Ohio School Report Card results were announced Monday, with Fort Recovery Local Schools rated as a five-star district for the second year in a row. Schools are measured based on their performance across the following components: achievement, progress, gap closing, early literacy and graduation.

Stahl said he plans to share more data surrounding the achievement at school board’s meeting in October or November.

In other news, school board members Greg LeFevre, Mitch Fullenkamp, Nick Wehrkamp, Don Wendel and Kahlig:

•Accepted a $146,589 bid from Cardinal Bus Sales and Services for an 84-passenger Blue Bird bus.

•Heard Village of Fort Recovery representatives Aaron Rengers and Randy Diller will return to share updates on progress toward a Community Reinvestment Area at school board’s October meeting.

•Were informed treasurer Deanna Knapke will give her five-year financial forecast a month ahead of the normal timeline, with the board to hold a work session at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 and its regular meeting to follow.

•Approved athletic contracts with the following for the current school year: girls bowling coach Doug Stone, boys bowling coach Jim Sheppard, swim coach Abby Timmerman and softball coach Alyssa Lewis.

•Accepted Brian Hemmelgarn as volunteer wrestling coach and Reece Grieshop as volunteer wrestling assistant coach.

•Hired Christy Kaiser as a van driver retroactive to Aug. 29, Judy Fortener and Esther Heitkamp as substitutes retroactive to Aug. 19 and Leak Koesters as a non-teaching employee for the current school year.

•OK’d FFA members to attend National FFA Convention from Oct. 28 through Oct. 31 in Indianapolis.