Work Begins on $6.8M Beaver Local Field House
EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio – Work has begun on construction of Beaver Local School District’s nearly $7 million athletic field house, which will be named in honor of alumnus and retired NFL player Derek Wolfe.
Ground was broken in mid-February for the Derek Wolfe Fieldhouse after the board of education selected Brock and Associates Builders as the general contractor from among five project bidders.
The North Lima company’s bid was the lowest at $6,811,500 for a two-story athletic facility that will boast a 50-yard practice field, batting cages, a cardiovascular area, sports simulator, showers and restrooms, among other amenities for the school district’s students.
District Treasurer Stacy Williams said 95 percent of the underground site work is complete, with sanitary lines being finished up, and the goal is to start the foundations in April or May, depending on delivery of the Nucor steel building that has been ordered. Williams said substantial completion of the project is anticipated by June 12, 2025, with final completion scheduled for July 12, 2025.
“The school board sees this indoor fieldhouse as a great opportunity to further enhance what we have and provide students with a safe, accessible and versatile space for physical activity, sports and community engagement, contributing to their overall health, well-being and academic success,” said Brian McKenzie, school board president.
“I fully believe we have the best academic facility in the county, and I’m proud to say we will have the best athletic facility in the county, which will help mold our children into better students and productive members of society,” he said.
The facility first came to light in 2020 when former Beaver Local football player Wolfe and alumnus Jamin Pastore, also a former Beaver Local football player and now an entrepreneur, partnered with the district with the idea for a turf field and athletic facility, donating $1 million toward the project.
The turf field was completed for $375,000 and named in honor of Pastore. But shortly thereafter, the pandemic struck and the brakes were put on the project until this past November, when the board was able to solicit bids and proceed due to some proactive financial moves on Williams’ part.
The treasurer took advantage of low interest rates to refinance the district’s bonds for a $2.8 million return and also earmarked $1.5 million of the district’s $4 million in American Rescue Plan funding for the project.
She previously said the district has the money in hand for the field house and the project calls for no additional costs to taxpayers in the form of levies or from the current operating budget.
The district may incur a $2 million loan to be repaid over six years using capital improvement funds, Williams has said.
Wolfe and Pastore intend to stay involved with completing the project, Williams has said.
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