Politis family offers up to $750,000 to fund Okemos High baseball turf; board to consider Jan. 26

Superintendent Hudson presented an initial gift proposal from Lizette and George Politis to support Okemos High School baseball with a pledge of up to $750,000, and told the board administration will return with details for formal acceptance at the Jan. 26 meeting.

The Politis pledge would be structured in up to six installments of $125,000. According to the administration’s presentation, the first $125,000 would be delivered on or before April 2, and future payments would continue only if a playable turf field for boys baseball is in place by April 1 of the following year. Superintendent Hudson noted the district’s gifts-and-donations policy (3.303) requires board acceptance for gifts that exceed the district’s bid-limit threshold.

Administrators emphasized the initial scope the district is committing to now is the field surface and associated elements essential to make it playable — the turf, dugouts, backstop and fencing/windscreens. Larger amenities such as bleachers and press boxes were described as likely to be phased and are not part of the immediate donor-dependent commitment.

Trustees and staff discussed costs and phasing. District staff provided a working cost benchmark of about $1.5 million for one turf baseball field (staff described that figure as an early estimate and said final pricing will depend on bids), with a grass-field alternative previously estimated near $300,000 but with higher ongoing upkeep. Administration also listed additional amenities estimated separately — bleachers and press boxes, entrance plaza and parking — that could add substantially to the project’s total cost and therefore may be weighed against other bond “big rock” priorities.

Operations staff said turf maintenance is typically lower year-to-year (annual cleaning and occasional grooming) while turf replacement or significant repair cycles can occur on a multi‑year schedule; staff cited comparable district turf experience of several years between major repairs. Trustees asked about Title IX parity; administration said a softball turf surface would be provided as part of phasing to avoid Title IX concerns.

The administration said attorneys had worked through a donation agreement and that trustees had requested two specific contractual clarifications (limit plaque size to 2x2 and require district final approval of plaque wording). The superintendent said the donation and revised agreement will be back for a formal vote on Jan. 26, with the additional cost and timeline information trustees requested.

Coach Raul Precious, in public comment later in the meeting, thanked the Politis family and said a new facility would benefit both high-school and youth programs; he told the board that without a turf solution the district would not have fields available for play in 2027.

Next step: the board will receive a revised donation agreement and cost/bid updates and is expected to consider formal acceptance at its Jan. 26 meeting.