“I am going to be creating a plan on what it might look like for the district to take over. It won’t be quick or easy. Right now, things are not happening,” Moran told the board of education Aug. 28. He joined the district as superintendent this summer.
Addressing school classroom needs remains top of mind, he said. The school district will soon submit a new building plan, likely for a preschool to eighth-grade building, to the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The district plans to place a bond issue for construction on the ballot in 2024.
The nonprofit Tipp Pride Association was formed in 2016 to raise around $5 million privately to provide a new field and updates to the 1940s stadium owned by the city but leased by the schools.
Work done so far has included installation of a synthetic turf field and restrooms/concession building. Among work remaining is a press box, completion of bleachers, locker rooms, lighting and scoreboard.
The Tipp Pride Association will disband later this year, said Mashell Carmack, a founder of the group.
“The Tipp Pride Association was started with the sole intention to raise private funds to build a new stadium so the school board and administration could remain focused on solutions for our aging school buildings,” Carmack said in a written statement. “Unfortunately, due to dysfunction of our school board and damaging comments and accusations towards the TPA over the last four years, the Tipp Pride Association will officially cease our operations at the end of this year and hand the responsibility of building the stadium back to the school district.”
“For a time, it was rewarding to work with the city leaders and those school board members with a shared motive to work only for the betterment of our school district,” Carmack added. “We are proud of what we accomplished using private funds from our community.”
Moran met with some of the donors to the TPA fundraising in August to hear their concerns and questions.
Main topics, he said, were:
* Tipp Pride has a loan of $371,000 that is currently not up to date;
* Support from community/citizens was not as hoped;
* Communication issues with donors and the community;
* Follow-through issues on agreements made for sponsorship.
The city was involved in the project, including providing in-kind services and helping pay for the restrooms structure that are shared with the city park.
City Manager Tim Eggleston was not available to discuss what role, if any, the city might have in a renewed stadium improvements effort.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
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