COLUMBIANA — During its last school district meeting, Columbiana school district Superintendent Donald Mook made a case to invest nearly $200,000 in Ward Athletic Facility and its other fields as well as up to $12 million district-wide now that its upgrades to Joshua Dixon Elementary School.

Board members will meet to vote on the matter at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 in special session at the high school media center.

The school board will continue a resolution authorizing possible financing and related documents for the districtwide upgrades.

During their December regular meeting, Mook presented board members with two options for funding to improve facilities: a combination general fund and fundraising option or a plan that would require the district to reorganize its debt and borrow money as needed.

He proposed baseball and softball fields to be added to the Ward Athletic Facility, which currently houses the district’s soccer, track and cross country fields; construction of home stands; and upgrades to lighting and installation of artificial turf.

He also would like to construct indoor athletic facilities –much like Austintown Fitch’s 40,000-square-foot all-sports indoor facility and Beaver Local’s new Derek Wolfe indoor facility –which include indoor a 50-yard field, a fitness area and weight room.

Austintown Fitch’s facility, which contractors are still finishing up, also includes a three-lane track, wrestling space and golf simulator.

Mook explained Tuesday that he recently had toured both the Austintown and Beaver Local athletic facilities and would like to do something similar.

Strollo Architects had done some facility plans for the district earlier, and he would like to bring those to fruition.

Other key areas of facility improvement would include upgrades to district HVAC systems.

Mook explained the district has been chipping away at Southside after the Dixon improvements and now would like to finish the rest.

He estimates that the cost would range anywhere between $3-$12 million.

In other board action at Friday’s meeting, members will consider a districtwide cybersecurity framework.

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