By Nancy Bowman
Damon Smith is more than a little excited about the possibilities for the community of the Bethel Local Schools school construction and stadium project.
The $28.5 million project - $3.5 million for a stadium, the rest for a new kindergarten through grade five building – was announced last year.
Smith joined the district last summer as its athletic director.
While the main driver behind the project was the need for more classroom space, Smith said the inclusion in the project of the stadium would meet another need identified by the community in a district survey.
“When (the public was) asked what other facilities we needed to look at, it was an overwhelming ‘We need a new athletic stadium,’” he said.
The new stadium will include an all-weather track, field house with home and visitor locker rooms, restrooms, a ticket booth, storage for equipment and seating for up to 1,500. That seating is “a significant increase from the current 850 capacity in fixed seating,” Smith said.
These pieces of the stadium are included in the $3.5 million identified for the stadium project.
The all-weather track would replace a cinder track and clear the way for Bethel to host track and field meets, Smith said.
In addition to project planning, there is an effort underway to raise another $1 million in partnership support for other pieces of the stadium project.
To raise funding, a stadium committee is looking at community donations/fundraising, corporate advertising sponsorships and naming rights.
Among these pieces of the project would be additional seating for 500, bringing the total to 2,000 seats; a walkway/pavilion; track and field equipment; and a turf field versus grass field.
One local organization – the Tipp City Foundation – has made public its support with a $25,000 grant to pay for the pavilion/walkway. In exchange for the funding, the pavilion/walkway will be named for the foundation’s Bethel Community Fund.
The foundation wanted to be among supporting sponsors, said Heather Bailey of the Tipp City Foundation.
"To help Bethel Local Schools build a gathering space is another way to help build a sense of community in Bethel Township,” Bailey said. “The theme of the Bethel Community Fund is 'For Bethel, By Bethel.’ What better way to demonstrate that mission than to support its new gathering hub!"
Smith said other commitments to the effort to raise $1 million have been received but are not yet being announced publicly.
The commitments so far include field naming rights, $100,000; track naming rights, $100,000; and stadium naming rights $250,000.
A couple of scoreboard advertising sponsorships also have been secured, Smith said.
As the public drive for the added stadium funding begins, organizers can say they have half of the needed dollars committed, he said.
School supporters are emphasizing that the $28.5 million is being funded by the district without asking residents to pay an additional tax, Smith said.
They also want people to know the stadium is for the schools – athletics, marching band, etcetera – as well as the community, he said.
“We want to create an atmosphere here on our campus that this is the place where people go for entertainment with our musicals, our athletics,” Smith said.
More information on the project and how people can contribute, if desired, is available on a new website www.bethellegacy.com.