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Strongsville speakers urge turf for baseball, athletic director says 19% of games disrupted by field conditions
Summary
At the May 28 Strongsville City Board of Education meeting, dozens of students, parents and boosters urged the board to turf the baseball and softball fields; athletic director Jason Kepler told trustees roughly 19% of games are negatively affected by cancellations or moves because of poor drainage, and staff estimated the project at $3.3'$3.4 million.
Dozens of students, parents and community volunteers pressed the Strongsville City Board of Education on May 28 to move forward with a plan to install turf on the district's baseball and softball fields, saying poor drainage and aging facilities cause frequent cancellations and safety concerns.
"TURF would provide opportunity, consistency, fairness, and support for generations of student athletes to come," student-athlete Emily Polo told the board during public comment, summing up a recurring theme: turf would reduce weather-related cancellations and offer a more reliable surface for practices and contests.
Jason Kepler, the district's athletic director, presented the facilities master-plan findings the board requested. Kepler said the baseball/softball turf ranked highest among stakeholders and that data spanning multiple seasons shows a meaningful operational impact: "19% of their games are impacted by either cancellations or having to flip a home game to away," he said, citing his analysis of past schedules and field conditions.
Kepler outlined the project scope and funding context. The current construction estimate is $3.3'$3.4 million; about $112,000 has already been spent on design and engineering, and booster organizations and families have signaled they could raise roughly $500,000 toward the work. Kepler also described potential revenue opportunities from tournament rentals if turf were installed and noted maintenance and operational benefits, such as reduced staff time spent repairing muddy fields.
Board members and audience members questioned specifics: whether to turf infield only or full fields, cleat restrictions and equipment compatibility, how dugouts and fencing would be handled, and whether the district could stage or scale the work to reduce costs. Administration said the current proposal envisions a full-field solution for both baseball and softball, that dugouts would be refreshed (not fully replaced) within the current estimate and that, if the project proceeds quickly, completion by spring 2027 remains an achievable target.
Trustees expressed mixed views about timing and funding. Some members spoke in strong support of moving to the next procurement step; others asked for more time to consider the district's broader fiscal picture before committing to a construction timetable. Superintendent Pelco framed the immediate decision as whether to move to the bidding phase: soliciting bids itself does not obligate the district to accept construction bids but would add an estimated $10,000 in design/bid costs.
The next procedural step for the board will be whether to authorize bidding or to ask staff for additional financial modeling and options. Board meetings on June 11 and June 30 were identified as near-term opportunities to seek further direction.
If the board elects to proceed, staff said the project team would return with bid documents and more detailed cost breakdowns, and any contract award would require a future separate board vote.
Ending: The board closed the turf discussion without a formal construction award; trustees requested more modeling on how the turf request interacts with the district's broader capital and operating plans before a final commitment.
