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Campbell schools to unveil plans for center
By Sarah Lehr
CAMPBELL
Campbell City School district will unveil plans for a new athletic center during the all-class reunion Saturday.
The district plans to build a two-story indoor athletic center near the K-7 school just off state Route 616.
Superintendant Matthew Bowen said he does not yet have a cost estimate for the center, but anticipated the district could finance the project through a combination of donations and carryover dollars. so the board of education would not need to ask voters to approve a tax levy or bond.
The district ended the month of June with $3,689,845 in the general fund and $4,551,393 aggregated across all funds, according to the treasurer’s report.
“We don’t want to burden our taxpayers,” Bowen said. “They’ve been very generous in their support.”
Though the project is in its early stages, current plans include bleachers, multipurpose rooms, and half-courts for volleyball and basketball. Bowen said a fundraising campaign would likely kick off in October. The district would then begin the bidding process on a date to be determined.
Bowen said the center’s first priority will be providing access to Campbell students, though the district might also host tournaments and sell passes to community members.
“We want to make sure it’s being used at every possible moment,” he said.
He added that Campbell students have been at a disadvantage since the district went from having four gymnasiums to two.
“This is about educating the whole child,” Bowen said.
The district has hired Olsavsky Jaminet Architects Inc. of Youngstown for about $9,500 to design the athletic center. The firm’s previous projects include Austintown Fitch Middle School and Chaney High School.
School officials hope the facility could be built adjacent to the new branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. Library trustees voted this month to hire a team of consultants to study consolidation of the Struthers, Campbell and Youngstown’s Brownlee Woods outposts.
Officials from Struthers, Campbell and Youngstown have been jockeying over the location. Campbell officials hope to entice leaders with donated land on the K-7 campus and cost savings from shared services with the school district.