Stow city, schools consider collaboration to build athletic fieldhouse near high school

Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools and the city of Stow are considering working together to build a state-of-the-art, freestanding athletic fieldhouse near the high school.

"The word that would be best used right now is 'exploratory,' " the district's Director of Operations Scott Campbell said.

According to Campbell, the district's current weight room is "very deficient" and can barely accommodate 20 athletes at a time, and that number has been reduced due to COVID-19 protocols. There is no storage for dumbbells, which currently lay on the floor, and there are only four racks.

"We don't have the appropriate equipment, so if I bring in a football team with 80 players, I can't expect them to get a workout in 40 minutes with four racks," he said. "That's impossible."

Meanwhile, the city does not have a public recreation center like some other communities in the region, and Mayor John Pribonic has frequently touted outdoor recreation — including the city's many parks, trails, playgrounds and golf course — as one of Stow's greatest strengths.

"It's not a rec center but a fieldhouse, and our portion would be the basketball courts, which are also pickleball courts, volleyball courts and many other activities, and a turf field area," Stow Service Director Nick Wren said of the potential collaboration.

Campbell said the district would want the fieldhouse, which it plans to name "The Dog House," to be as close to the high school as possible for easy access to student athletes. The facility also would be available to youth programs.

"We want this to be the hub of our cities," Campbell said. "This is another way to get the youth to the high school programs up to our buildings. We want to showcase this and this is where we start putting pride on our schools."

Campbell, a former athletic director, said he believes a new fieldhouse would improve the district's athletic programs and ultimately draw the best coaches.

The district is considering working with an architect that would provide a pre-engineered building. Campbell also has toured other athletic facilities at Jackson, Hoban and Perry to generate ideas and plans to look at more.

A possible location is the current band practice field.

If that were chosen as the location, the band would move to the front of the high school on Graham Road, which is close to the band room door, Campbell said.

Due to supply chain issues and inflated costs associated with the pandemic, the district does not have an estimated cost of the project or a timeline and has not met with an architect, Campbell said.

The district plans to pay for project with a portion of a 10-year tax anticipation note on its existing 1.99-mill continuous permanent improvement levy, which yields about $2.4 million annually. The district would get $5.5 million up front and would pay back about $6.5 million.

About $4.2 million would pay for the roof, and there would be another $410,000 allocated as contingency money. About $875,000 would be available for the fieldhouse project.

The refinancing could also make funds available to benefit the performing arts, such as an observation deck for the marching band, Campbell said.

Wren said the city is not yet including the fieldhouse in its capital project budget, which City Council is expected to review at its first December meeting.

"Right now, construction costs are through the roof and the number of where we want to be, we are not close to that right now," Wren said. "We're still working with the schools on trying to adjust that project to see if its possible for it to become a reality."

Cyle Feldman, who is both a Stow at-large councilman and the school's athletic director said he is happy to see the city and the schools "collaborating, communicating and potentially working together on a project that will make our tax dollars go farther."

He gave credit to Campbell for recognizing the needs and deficiencies of the Division 1 school and finding a solution.

Feldman said City Council is still a long ways from having this project on its agenda.

It is unclear whether his role with the schools would present a conflict of interest that would bar him from discussing or voting on any potential legislative action. Feldman said he would follow the advice of the city law department.

Reporter Krista S. Kano can be reached at 330-541-9416, kkano@thebeaconjournal.com or on Twitter @KristaKanoABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Stow city, schools consider collaboration on athletic fieldhouse