CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Work is expected to begin this week on a privately funded overhaul of the Unioto High School baseball facility, including a new turf infield, Union-Scioto Local School District Superintendent Matt Thornsberry said in a statement reported by the Scioto Valley Guardian.
The project will turf the infield at the baseball facility at Unioto High School and make several additional improvements to the grounds, according to the district statement obtained by the Scioto Valley Guardian. The district hopes to have the work finished before winter sets in, weather permitting, so the upgraded field is ready well ahead of the spring baseball season.
The most notable part of the plan, for taxpayers in the Union-Scioto district, is how it is being paid for. Thornsberry said the project is being funded entirely through donations, sponsorships and fundraising, with no taxpayer money and no district general fund dollars involved.
“This project is being funded entirely through private donations, sponsorships, and fundraising efforts,” Thornsberry said in the statement reported by the Scioto Valley Guardian. “No taxpayer dollars or Union-Scioto School District general fund dollars are being used for this project.”
Thornsberry credited individuals, families, businesses, sponsors and volunteers for contributing money, time and sponsorships to move the project forward, according to the Scioto Valley Guardian’s reporting on the district statement. While the district did not initiate or fund the project itself, he said school officials support it because of the long-term benefits for student-athletes and the Unioto baseball program.
A turf infield is a significant upgrade for a high school program in southern Ohio, where spring seasons routinely contend with rain, saturated dirt and postponed games. A synthetic surface drains and recovers differently than a natural dirt infield, and it can reduce the day-to-day maintenance a dirt-and-grass diamond requires through a wet March and April. For players, it also offers a more consistent playing surface from the first practices of the season through tournament play.
What happens next is the construction itself. Crews are expected to start work this week at the Unioto High School facility in Chillicothe, in Ross County, with the district’s stated goal of wrapping up before winter, weather permitting. If that schedule holds, Unioto’s baseball players will open their next home season on a new turf infield that their own community — not the district’s general fund — paid to build.
Photo: Steve Morgan, CC BY