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Rayen stadium funded mostly with school dollars
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Despite a well-publicized fundraising campaign, most of the money used to renovate and restore Rayen Stadium was made up of city school district funds.
And much of it likely will never be repaid.
The project cost about $3 million. It was expected that about two-thirds of the project – $2 million – would be repaid via donations.
But that campaign fell far short, yielding a little more than $550,000.
THE ORIGINAL PLAN
The city school board in 2011 transferred $1 million to the stadium fund, and advanced more than $2 million from a classroom facilities fund to the stadium project. The $1 million wasn’t expected to be repaid.
“It was hoped at that time that the [$2 million] advance could be repaid from donations,” Treasurer Sherry Tyson wrote in an email.
The classroom facilities fund was the money generated through the sale of bonds as part of the Ohio School Facilities Commission project to renovate and rebuild school facilities.
The district had entered an agreement in 2001 with the OSFC, and either renovated or rebuilt all of its school buildings. The local share of the project was funded by a $33.2 million bond issue that voters approved in November 2000.
The agreement was amended in 2004, and the local share was increased. It was financed by a $4 million bond issue approved by voters in November 2004 “for the purpose of constructing, adding to, renovating, furnishing, equipping and otherwise improving school facilities and acquiring and improving their sites,” the treasurer wrote.
The building project wrapped up in late 2010, and $14 million remained in the account.
Tyson said that in June 2011, “negotiations took place between the OSFC” and the school district “regarding disposition of the $14,178,664 left over from the [buildings] project.”
The result was that $11 million was returned to the state and $3.1 million was returned to the district.
THE CAMPAIGN
The fundraising campaign kicked off in October 2011 with Jim Tressel – before he became Youngstown State University president – and the Rev. Lewis Macklin of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, as co-chairmen.
The old stadium saw its first game in 1924. At the time of the campaign launch, it showed its age: Paint peeled off the bleachers, and weeds grew through cracks in the concrete steps.
The project restored the North Side stadium to its former grandeur, adding lighting, locker rooms, concession area, public restrooms, press box, storage and parking area and updated seating to accommodate 7,000 fans.
The renovated stadium opened in 2012.
“A total of $553,176.08 was raised from donations and other sources and deposited into the Rayen Stadium Fund,” Tyson wrote. “That amount was repaid to the classroom facilities fund” last April and the stadium fund was closed out.
Michael Murphy, city school board member who heads the board’s athletics and extracurricular committee, said part of the shortfall is from money pledged by donors for the project that is being paid in installments over a few years.
“There’s still some out there that they’re paying every year,” he said.
But that won’t cover the remaining $1.5 million, he acknowledged.
‘PLENTY OF USE’
At the launch of the fund-raising campaign, city high-school students hadn’t played on a home field since 1993.
Ed Matey, athletic director, said the stadium field gets plenty of use.
“We played five varsity games, six junior varsity games, six middle-school games and two scrimmages,” he said of the most recent football season. “It’s getting plenty of use.”
The high-school teams play Canfield, Austintown and Poland among opposing teams.
“Those schools bring good crowds,” he said.
In the season before the renovated stadium opened, all 10 of the city teams’ games were away. That makes it difficult to build a fan base, Matey said.
With the stadium, about half of the games are at home and half away, allowing more opportunity for people in the community to attend games. Matey said city games at the stadium are better attended.
Outside groups and organizations also use the facility for a fee, but Matey said the district has to ensure that the stadium’s grass field is maintained for the school district.
That means he’s turned some semiprofessional teams away to preserve the field.
Having their own stadium also bolsters pride for the team and the community “I think, tremendously,” Matey said.