LEWIS CENTER — Olentangy Berlin High School could soon become the last of the district’s four high schools to install turf on its softball fields.
The Olentangy Board of Education heard a presentation Oct. 22 on the proposed $385,000 project, which would be funded through local booster organizations. The board did not take action to approve it.
“When I mentioned to the girls that we were going to possibly get turf this year, they’re all excited,” Berlin Varsity Softball Coach Charles Shank told the board.
“The other three high schools have turf. We are, in our division of the OCC, ourselves and Hilliard Darby (High School) are the only ones that don’t have turf,” Shank said.
“Getting turf would make us more compatible and be able to compete better with the other schools in the OCC.”
Project scope and funding
Sarah Whited, treasurer of the Olentangy Berlin Athletic Booster Club, presented plans to install approximately 22,000 square feet of turf across the varsity and junior varsity softball fields.
The project would include red turf on the infields and green turf in foul territory. The outfields would remain unchanged.
The proposal also includes removable batter, catcher and pitcher inserts, drainage improvements, an aggregate base and an eight-year standard warranty.
Under the proposed funding arrangement, OBC would contribute an initial $50,000, while the Berlin Athletic Booster Club would provide a $250,000 interest-free loan from its available funds.
“We haven’t designated [those funds] for any future projects, so we feel comfortable allowing them to execute that loan on a five-year term,” Whited said.
“Plus, we’re going to get $100,000 in bank financing. We’ve got a few options available for that financing.”
The funding plan totals $400,000, with an estimated project cost of $385,000 and the remaining $15,000 available for unforeseen expenses.
Shank said other organizations have helped fund turf installations at other Olentangy schools, so the project is not new to the district.
The district’s Facilities Committee reviewed the proposal and recommended moving forward with the project under normal district construction oversight.
“We’re very comfortable with the installer of this project,” Chief Operations Officer Jeffrey Gordon said. “They’ve already done three or four of the other turf projects in the district, and we have had really good results with the install and process that they’ve used.”
The Berlin softball team would have priority use of the field, but with the booster club paying for the project, Shank said the organization would have access to use the fields after the school season concludes.
Shank also said the project would provide the student athletes with a “more consistent durable playing surface, and we’d have fewer delays, rainouts, and so forth.”
Before the booster club can begin construction, it must receive a final price from the vendor, board approval and set a contract in place.
“Baseball has had turf for a little while, and it’s time to get the softball fields up to the same standard,” Whited said.
Bunty Station Road widening project
In other business, the board approved the district to enter into a project agreement with the Board of Trustees of Liberty Township, the Board of Trustees of Delaware Township, and the Board of Commissioners of Delaware County for roadway improvements to Bunty Station Road.
The fifth high school, now officially known as the Olentangy Hyatts High School, will be located on Bunty Station Road, but the road is not currently wide enough to accommodate the increased traffic.
The district similarly widened Bean Oller Road for the new 18th elementary school opening next fall, now known as Deer Haven Elementary.
“The county worked with us to apply for an Ohio Public Works grant and that then almost doubled the money that was put into that road project. So they are working as the lead agency for us on this road widening,” Gordon said.
The district would be responsible for the road’s design and widening costs, though Liberty Township trustees are expected to vote this week on a proposed $50,000 contribution. Delaware Township has already committed $50,000.
Delaware County would contribute $150,000 for each participating township, bringing the total local investment to $400,000.
The collaboration could also strengthen the project’s application for an Ohio Public Works grant, which considers partnerships among multiple agencies.
“The county feels it will score well since we have so many agencies partnering together, that usually helps with the scoring, and we should get another additional $600,000 if the grant is approved,” Gordon said.
If all those funding sources come together, Gordon said that will take the district’s cost down from a $3.5 million project to about $2.5 million.
