Joneses offer $200,000 for Manitowoc baseball complex; board accepts donation, refers naming-policy change to committee

Maurice Jones and his wife, Patrice Jones, told the Manitowoc Public School District Board of Education that they will contribute about $200,000 toward renovations at the district's baseball complex and asked the board to name the field for longtime coach Bruce Steinbeck.

"We want to give a couple hundred thousand dollars to get this project going," Maurice Jones said during public input, and he urged the board not to sell naming rights to corporations: "Name it for somebody who's given their heart. Somebody who's given their soul to these kids."

The request followed remarks from coach Bruce Steinbeck and brief discussion among board members. A motion was made during the meeting to refer the board's current practice — described by a speaker as a rule that a field cannot be named while the honoree is still employed — to the personnel and policy committee for revision. That referral was approved by voice vote and will return to the full board for further action.

Separately, the board voted in favor of accepting the Joneses' donation and to mark the baseball complex in honor of Bruce Steinbeck and Todd Hedrick, pending the district's acceptance procedures. The motion to accept the donation was approved by voice vote; the meeting record does not list a roll-call tally.

Board President Christopher Abel thanked the donors and said the gesture honors teachers and coaches across the district. "When you honor one teacher in the district, it is my view you honor all teachers in the district," Abel said.

Board members discussed logistics raised by speakers: the district's infield lacks restrooms, running water and other infrastructure that make it unusable for sanctioned events, and board members noted private fundraising reduces the amount taxpayers would otherwise need to pay to make the field usable. One board member said the project estimate being discussed was about $900,000 and suggested privately raised funds could substantially reduce the district's capital burden.

The referral to the personnel and policy committee means the board will consider revising the current policy on naming facilities; no final policy change or renaming was adopted at the meeting.

The donation acceptance and referral close a public presentation and set the next procedural steps: the naming-policy language will be considered by the policy committee and the donation will be processed according to district procedure.