GAHS stadium Kick Off

[radioman]

Join us for a stadium kickoff meeting and community get together .
The gallia academy blue devils are holding a stadium kickoff and
Information session Tuesday April 19th at 7pm at the high schools
Holzer center for the performing arts hall.
This event is open to all community members as well as
Parents and faculty . It's the hope that all will attend to hear about the
New facilities being proposed .

PROJECT - ONE TEAM / ONE DREAM.
THURSDAY APRIL 19th. 7pm @
GALLIA. ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL.

[jottings]

Wow radioman...I'm on a 1952 class reunion committee and that date was set at our last meeting in January to follow up on what we've done so far. The reunion event is set for 7 p.m., at First Baptist Church on April 19. Our 60th reunion is set for the weekend of July 6-7 at the Holiday Inn building on Upper Rt. 7. Understand they have a good program planned for the new football stadium. Hope they have a good turnout.

[GalliaGrad78]

Radioman, is it Tuesday the 17th. or Thursday the 19th.?

[radioman]

Sorry jottings, I know you would have attended the event, just a shame
That time constraints make it a conflict.
And then event according to the flyer,
Thursday April 19.th at 7pm.

[Rvbballdude]

Do they have funds now available to start on the new stadium?
It is much needed!

[jottings]

How did this evening's meeting go at GAHS? How was the attendance? I had to go to 60th class reunion meeting for "Class of 52". We're looking for a speaker.I"m to call GAHS Principal Tim Massie to see if he''ll give us a short message. Katheryn Elliott (Noel) Massie is a member of our class. I tried go get the new superintendent to speak, but he said he'll be out of town the weekend of July and 7.

Anyway, hope everything worked out OK this evening at GAHS.

[superblue]

The meeting was well attended and Steve Pyles did a great job presenting general information about the project. If a person wanted most of the info he could go to http://www.GAHSstadium.com and view it.. Sounds like the committee has a solid plan for the project. They would like to start Phase 1 of the project this year which includes a 10,000 square foot field house and a home side concession building. Field house would consist of a weight room, 2 locker rooms with showers, coaches offices & conference room, training room, visitors side concession stand and a couple of misc rooms.... The committee needs at least 1 million $$$$ to start this phase and would like to get it started this June. Not much specific info was given but the Super gave the figure of I believe 4.5 Mill for the total project.. Field would be TURF.... Sounds like completing phase 1 would be a great asset to our complex... I hope somehow they can figure out a way to complete the baseball & softball fields this summer.

[seoal83]

I think they will get this done the question is how long. Unfortunately a project this big will need several large donors. i think those donors will come forward and make this happen but the question is when? For the size of this project there are not many people with deep pockets to make the big donations. I think the people with the ability to make them will but i am afraid it may be a while before entire amount is raised.
i think they will have no problem getting to the 1 million mark by June and be able to start project this fall. As a matter of fact i think they will get to the 2.5 to 2 million number fairly quickly then the question will be how long will it take to get the rest of the money. My youngest is in the 5th grade and i think she will see games in new stadium before she graduates. My other 2 probably not. one is a freshmen and one is an 8th grader. i would love to be wrong about this fact but even if we can get everything done except the field it will be a huge step in right direction.

[jottings]

Looks like they got a fine start Thursday evening on the new GAHS sports complex.

I do have one question that needs to be answered. They placed the GAHS scoreboards at the baseball and softball fields last summer. I thought by golly we'll have scoreboards in operation for the 2012 campaign. Didn't happen. Why? Did somebody drop the ball on this? Hope the same won't happen to the football complex.

[Old_Timer]

I don't understand why instead of buying brand new bleachers why don't we just move the ones from memorial field that are not that old, and big enough for the attendance we have been averaging the last couple of years and save money that way. I've talked to some people who say they can be moved and others who say they can't

[jottings]

Someone ought to check with AEP about lights. Bob Wingett former Tribune publisher, got AEP to donate lights for the Syracuse ball park and swimming pool. They not only donated the lights up there they installed them.

I think one of the first things Gallia's new superintendent asked last fall was what would it take to move the current bleachers from Memorial Field to the Centenary Field?

[superblue]

I don't understand why instead of buying brand new bleachers why don't we just move the ones from memorial field that are not that old, and big enough for the attendance we have been averaging the last couple of years and save money that way. I've talked to some people who say they can be moved and others who say they can't

Fact is the bleachers can be moved....The only pieces that possibly could not be used are the support beams that are concreted in the ground.. I just got back from Rockingham speedway, they had huge sets of bleachers on the back stretch and now these bleachers are being used at the drag strip at Lowes Motor Speedway.... Moving the bleachers would be a savings, just not sure how much.... Good question about the score boards Jottings..... One thing for sure, whenever they start this project the board needs to hire a competent project manager to oversee it.... One mistake could be devastating to the project....

[Blue_Devil_Nut43]

I don't understand why instead of buying brand new bleachers why don't we just move the ones from memorial field that are not that old, and big enough for the attendance we have been averaging the last couple of years and save money that way. I've talked to some people who say they can be moved and others who say they can't

From my understanding, Memorial field will be the location for Jr. HIgh football games, as well as Elementary football games. While I agree that the current bleachers are in great Shape, and would look good out at the new school, it simply wouldn't be logical to move the "Home Side Bleachers," however, I do think that the Away side bleachers at memorial field could be relocated (add more seating to the soccer field, and add seats to the tennis courts), or even sold would make sense. The home side bleachers would be sufficient for jr. High football games for both the home and away fans.

[jottings]

Understand the main reason that construction outfit didn't finish the lines to the new scoreboards on the baseball and softball diamonds is because "they run out of money."Must have been too many "corrections" on other school projects.

[kvnchambers]

I need to take a minute to vent. Last night i was at the fall sports sign ups and got there at about 15 til 6pm. New athletic director did not get started until almost 625. Now i do not hold school or athletic director responsible for what happened for these 40 minutes.

But i bit my tongue for at least a half an hour how people in rows behind me and beside me. Bad mouthed. The school the athletic department and the new stadium project. If you hate things that bad, transfer your kids, you and your attitudes are the problems there. If you don't like things get new people elected to the board get a new superintendent get a new athletic director. Talk to the stadium committee get involved, but don't set around and bad mouth a school a project and athletic department with other families and kids setting around you. how do you think that effects the other families and kids and new members of the community. Do you think it sheds a positive light on gallipolis as a community or gallia academy as a school. I just hate that.These same people are members of boosters clubs and help out at activities and i would consider them prominent members of the community that most of you know by name when you see their face.. But how can you really talk like that to your friends and neighbors and really think that you are doing what is best for your own kids the athletic department and the community.

If i felt like that i would either transfer my kids or the entire community would know me because i would be at every board meeting raising cane. I would be at every athletic booster meeting calling people out. i would be writing letters to the editor i would be contacting radio stations. OHSAA. i would do what it takes.

" you know their going to make us watch a new video about the stadium!!! you know this is just another big sales pitch."
" we have to listen to the same old stuff, we don't play politics, we don't pick favorites, what a bunch of crap."

if you really think it is all true and they don't care come on lets get a group of people together with facts and do something about it. the truth is you have grown up in this county and you have grown up and into the good old boy network. the only problem is it is the 21st century. And other counties around us that did not have the carters, the cremeans and the evans and others worked their but off and have built nice schools and athletic facilities and some are even attracting new businesses..... What do we have here a lot of people trying to play catch up and doing their best. have their been some mistakes made yes you bet. have the good ole boys gotten in the way some. yep you bet.

If you really want better for your kids and community be part of the solution if not keep your negativity at home it is not helping anything.

Now do i think the stadium committee could of looked at doing things a little differently could they went about it a little different. will what they want to do work i don't know. But if we really want a new stadium for the school figure out what you can do and do it.

sorry for the rant. But since the people behind me started on the stadium i thought this would be the place.

[bevo]

I don't understand why instead of buying brand new bleachers why don't we just move the ones from memorial field that are not that old, and big enough for the attendance we have been averaging the last couple of years and save money that way. I've talked to some people who say they can be moved and others who say they can't

Fact is the bleachers can be moved....The only pieces that possibly could not be used are the support beams that are concreted in the ground.. I just got back from Rockingham speedway, they had huge sets of bleachers on the back stretch and now these bleachers are being used at the drag strip at Lowes Motor Speedway.... Moving the bleachers would be a savings, just not sure how much.... Good question about the score boards Jottings..... One thing for sure, whenever they start this project the board needs to hire a competent project manager to oversee it.... One mistake could be devastating to the project....

Yes they can be moved and next time they are set up they need to use concrete and bolt them down i have no idea why they poured those in concrete!

[superblue]

"'Yes they can be moved and next time they are set up they need to use concrete and bolt them down i have no idea why they poured those in concrete!"

Are you are talking about the home side bleachers? These bleachers were designed to be set in concrete.... You can't take something that big and set on a concrete bad and just bolt them down.... Maybe if you re engineered them you could do something different, but the cost of doing this would be far more than just setting them back in concrete.....

[edforshey]

Why are you guys wanting a new stadium?
I thought the current one was decent, just lacked parking.

[superblue]

Thanks for your positive comment Ed... Our playing field always looks great for a couple of games.... Come back in Oct and it will probably be mostly dirt with a few bricks scattered here and there....LOL.... The Locker rooms and restrooms are a joke & the field sets in a flood plain... Water was up last year just about to the cross bar of the goal posts.... One year when my son played the field flooded twice doing the season.... Took a lot of hard work to make it playable again...

[bevo]

How much does the stadium project cost? How much do we currently have?
Just wanting a feel for when this field goes from being a really pretty picture at the fair to an actual facility?
I know everyone is really working hard to get this done and the community appreciates it!