Many members of the community turned out recently at the Birdfish Brewing Company to support the Columbiana Athletic Booster Club’s fundraiser to renovate the stadium at Firestone Park. (Submitted photo)

As we begin the next phase of the restoration of Firestone Park, the players will be changing. The current campaign to replace the aging football stadium (described later in this article) includes the Columbiana Schools, the Columbiana Booster Club, an interested major donor and the Firestone family. To recap the current relationship among the city, the Columbiana schools, Firestone Park and the Firestones, a brief review of history is needed.

A New Arrangement

After years of operating under the park/city budget, a new arrangement was forged this past year. With the agreement of the Firestone family, the city agreed to lease the stadium and athletic facilities in Firestone Park to the school district for 100 years at a yearly fee of one dollar. This change made it possible for the Columbiana Schools to seek grants and other funds to support their athletic programs held in the stadiums. It is most unusual for a community to locate its football stadium in a public park in Ohio. Only one other school district in the state operates as Columbiana does. This agreement also released the city/park from the burden of maintenance costs for essentially school activities. All parties agreed on this and the Firestone attorney prepared the document detailing the change. This was necessary as the Firestone family still maintains some control of the park honoring Harvey Firestone’s wishes.

Facing a Challenge

The current situation is that the school district now faces the challenge of replacing a football stadium fallen into disrepair. Although talk circulated at one time about relocating the football stadium to the current high/middle school site, sentiment in the community has been largely in favor of keeping it at its historic site. When Harvey Firestone bequeathed the park to the town he obviously saw the need for football, baseball and softball facilities to be included there. The location of the K-12 Columbiana School Building (now Heartland Christian School) precluded development in the center of town.

Several generations of students have passed through the Columbiana Schools, always with the strong association of Firestone Park as part of their experience with athletics. Changing the maintenance arrangement does not change that relationship. The stadiums remain a part of Harvey S. Firestone Park, even though their administration has been modified. All efforts to change, improve or support them now rests technically with the schools, but also extends to the city and the Firestones through historic ties.

The school district, through its board, is responsible for providing the necessary funds to maintain the athletic facilities it uses at Firestone Park.

Is it time that the school board, representing the school district, recognize this responsibility and help the Booster Club find the means to substantially fund the much-needed renovation?

The Booster Club is a small group of supporters undertaking a challenging task. Raising $1.2 million dollars for Phase One of the stadium alone is a daunting task. What other options could the school board offer to contribute to this endeavor?

Support from the Firestone family will likely come if and when the community (including all the “players” – the boosters, the city and the residents through the school board) show a genuine commitment to the task that lies ahead.

Meeting the Match

“Meeting the Match” should be the first focus of the fundraising. To this end, I have pledged $300,000 to the stadium replacement to be named for my uncle, Dick “Sonny” Fisher, an outstanding athlete whose performance at all levels (high school and college) led to the naming of the local athletic teams as the “Clippers.”

The Bradford and Patricia Tingle Family Foundation will donate $300,000 if the boosters, the city, the schools and the residents can match that amount in the months ahead. Therefore, residents can plan to see a “Meeting the Match” set of thermometers located in the Town Square showing the progress of the drive.

As residents, businesses and alumni donate, they will be able to see, hopefully, steady progress toward the stated $600,000 goal … $300,000 from the Tingle Foundation, and $300,000 from the community. That would bring the drive to the halfway point. With $1.2 million being the ultimate goal, a second drive could then work toward that amount.

It is good to remember that this project is not just about football, it is about the Firestone Legacy – what Harvey Firestone envisioned when he and Idabelle gave the park to Columbiana. He made that decision some 80-plus years ago when he located the stadium(s) in the park. It will take commitment from all involved to achieve the stated goals.

The Campaign Has Begun

The campaign to raise money conducted by the Columbiana Athletic Booster Club has already begun. Among its activities has been the opening fundraiser on March 29 at Birdfish Brewing Company in the city to launch the project.

Pamphlets have also been mailed or distributed to the public describing the phases of the project and the campaign. They present a number of ways and levels at which residents and supporters can contribute. Key members of the booster club have been and will be visiting local businesses and organizations to seek donations. In addition, signs will be posted at locations around town – in the park, at the schools and in the town square. The thermometer displayed in the square will show the goal for the initial phase which is to match the Tingle Foundation gift of $300,000, with donations from residents and alumni, as well as businesses and civic groups. Weekly postings on the key thermometer will show where we are in terms of our initial goal of $300,000 to match the gift amount pledged.

Also, soon on view, will be signs in local residents’ yards announcing support for the campaign by each family homeowner. Other methods of seeking community support will emerge as the campaign goes on. Please watch for them and help our schools and the newly-restored Firestone Park reach out once more for restoration, beautification, and now recreational upgrading which will benefit our local students and enhance the role the Columbiana Exampted Village Schools play in establishing the town as a thriving and important place for families to live and raise their children.

Please participate in “Meeting the Match” as we honor the Legacy of Clipper Pride!

(In the coming months, please visit Columbiana Athletic Boosters on Facebook for complete information about the Stadium fundraising campaign and renovation activities as they progress.)