Minster sports projects to proceed

MINSTER - Upgrades to the school's baseball and softball fields likely will be pursued and financed by the athletic boosters and recreation committee, with help from village officials.

The athletic boosters, recreation committee and village officials can move forward with the plans after Minster Local Schools Board of Education members on Monday night gave their verbal approval.

Improvements are planned for the Melcher Street baseball field and the softball field at Four Seasons Park.

"As far as the school is concerned, we are not asking for any kind of funding or any type of participation. This is going to be 100 percent booster-funded along with the rec committee and the community as a whole," athletic booster president James Wolf said.

Village administrator Don Harrod offered the use of cranes to install new equipment and reduce project costs, Wolf said.

The board heard from district recreation manager Mike Wiss in August about new netting and a backstop at the baseball field to help reduce the number of foul balls leaving the park. Wiss had estimated the project would cost more than $100,000. The softball field would also receive dugouts, Wolf said Monday.

No estimate was given for the cost of softball field improvements.

Wolf would like to have poles set for the new nets at the baseball field sometime this fall.

"The next step will be a collaboration with the village to make sure they're on board with what we're looking to do. It's their softball field that we're going to use," athletic director Josh Clune said.

The boosters, recreation committee and village officials must next create a fundraising plan, Clune added.

No specific timeline or total costs were given Monday night, but Wolf said he would like to have the projects completed by the spring before the teams take to the fields.

The board also,

• approved the sixth-grade class trip to Camp Willson on Sept. 22-23, eighth-grade trip to Washington D.C., on Oct. 18-23, FFA attendance at the FFA National Convention on Oct. 28-31 and the State FFA Convention on May 5-6, the junior and senior high school bands' trip to Orlando on Nov. 8-13 and the TAG trip to Chicago on May 12-13.

• approved a Tri Star Career Compact referral for a new robot in St. Marys and heard an update about Tri Star 2.0 from program director Tim Buschur.

• approved a one-year limited supplemental contract for Mike Lee as boys basketball head coach.

• approved an anonymous donation of $385 for book fees; an anonymous donation of $1,344 for student Washington, D.C., trips; and an anonymous donation of $388 for the boys cross country program.

• recognized senior Hannah Schmitmeyer, who was selected as the 2015 Honda-OSU Math Medal award winner for Minster. She will be recognized at a formal ceremony on Nov. 5 at Honda's Marysville plant.