Roehm baseball field.jpg
The defunct Roehm Middle School baseball field may soon get a facelift if Baldwin Wallace and the Berea City School district can come to terms on a partnership.
BEREA, Ohio -- Student athletes, coaches and fans may have something to cheer about in the coming months.
Berea City and Baldwin Wallace school officials have spent the last several weeks discussing a potential partnership that could lead to the construction of multipurpose fields on the Roehm Middle School grounds, just off Bagley Road, according to Berea Schools Superintendent Michael Sheppard.
The discussions arose months ago after each institution recognized a similar need for its softball players and other athletes, said BW Senior Vice President Richard Fletcher.
"We've had a great partnership with Berea Schools for a long time," said Fletcher. "We feel this could be a nice continuation of that relationship."
As it stands, BW rents a ball field at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, while the local school district sends its teams throughout Berea and Brook Park to play ball.
Sheppard said the existing Roehm softball field - which can't be used because it doesn't conform to mandated softball requirements - would be resurfaced with a rain-resistant synthetic material, creating two multipurpose fields.
No permanent lines would be painted on the fields, he said. Instead, temporary lines could be drawn to create soccer, lacrosse, football and softball fields.
Sheppard said BW could provide "significant dollars," adding that the district could contribute private funds generated through private donations.
Sheppard stressed the softball plan wouldn't take money away from the proposed renovations and new construction plan the district is proposing.
In the past, the district has been able to raise six-figure donations for such athletic endeavors, and thinks there would be enough interest in the community to attract large sums of cash for this project.
Fletcher said cost projections haven't been calculated yet, but they should become available shortly when the commissioned architect, Glen Ramage Inc., of Broadview Heights, completes the initial design plans.