COLUMBIANA — The Columbiana Athletic Boosters are just putting the finishing touches on their stadium project. It will be dedicated at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, prior to the Clippers’ home opener versus McDonald.

During Tuesday’s city council meeting, representatives showed up to express their displeasure with city officials for their lack of financial contributions towards Phase I of the project that included replacement of the cement stands with aluminum ones; enhancing the aesthetic look and feel of the facility; and ensuring Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.

Boosters president Sean Zentner addressed the body and called the city an obstacle through much of the project –calling it “increasingly frustrating.”

Despite media coverage saying the contrary, he said the city hasn’t assisted with the project.

The stadium is on the city-owned Firestone Park grounds. However, the Columbiana Exempted Village School District and boosters have been in midst of a 59-year ground lease agreement since 2020, which allows the two entities to rent the football, baseball and softball fields from the city for $1 a year.

As Municipal Attorney Mark Hutson explained, “The ground lease was sought by the school to control the facilities and allow more opportunities to obtain grants and other funding for renovations that are not available to the city.”

Hutson disputed Zentner’s assertions regarding the lack of city involvement.

In Fall 2023, the district and boosters wanted to make a walking trail around the field –paving from the home side stands to the front stadium entrance to the entrance of the visitors side stands.

Much of the dispute centers around an aging public sewer line that runs east to west in front of the bleachers, which the contractor estimated would cost $120,000 to replace.

District and boosters officials had wanted to the city to underwrite the replacement cost. But they decided since it was an “unexpected capital expense in 2024” to just focus on replacing the bleachers.

Hutson said that the city acknowledges the sewer line is a city responsibility. However it is not at a stage of “critical repair” for the city at this time compared to many others.

The municipal attorney also disputed the allegation that Zentner made that city officials haven’t been an integral part of the project as of late. The Stadium Restoration Committee and boosters recently wanted to revisit the track situation, asking city officials to spend $105,000 on the stone trail to make a nice surface. “To assist the project, the city paid $2,035 for a value engineering exercise to help save the stadium restoration project a considerable amount of money and have sent many hours of city time, trying to find a cost-effective solution,” Hutson said from his written statement. “The city’s value engineering exercise took the $105,000 estimate to $26,100.”

City officials followed up by applying for a Columbiana Community Foundation grant for $24,800 with Zentner’s support, which would leave about $1,300 to get the walking trail ready for the upcoming season.

The city wasn’t awarded that grant from the CCF.

Councilman Dan Dattilio reminded Zentner and the city’s critics that helping financially is a difficult task beyond grant applications. Due to the city being responsible for the money of its taxpayers, Hutson agreed with Dattilio, that the city cannot just write a check as he was unsure the upgrades to a stadium would fall within “the scope of an acceptable use of taxpayer dollars.”

The stadium is being named after Columbiana-native and Ohio State University football legend Dick “Sonny” Fisher, who was called a Clipper by Cleveland radio announcer Tom Manning, which triggered Columbiana eventually adopting this nickname for its sports teams.

Members of the Fisher family will be on hand for the dedication.