When Plymouth-Shiloh Local School District opened the new Plymouth High School in 2002, they maintained their game field at the old high school location. The plan was to eventually move the field to the new school location. The boosters have been slowly making upgrades with hopes of making the move. Last year a press box was built and paid for by the boosters at the new field.
Last year the Plymouth football team qualified for the playoffs with a home playoff game. The Ohio High School Athletic Association, very reluctantly, agreed to allow Plymouth to host the game due to safety issues with the bleachers at the old field. The booster club knew it was time to make a push to get the new home field established. Hub Reed, a graduate of Plymouth and retired school administrator, stepped up to start canvassing alumni to support the project.
The initial budget for new home and visitors bleachers was over $150,000. The boosters worked with Farnham Equipment Company (FEC) to help stretch the limited dollars that were raised for the bleachers.
FEC assisted with planning to bring the home bleacher up to current code compliance standards by providing additional materials allowing the bleacher to be moved to the new high school field to be used as the visitors’ bleacher. What started out as three bleachers put together with a makeshift aisle way, is now a code compliant bleacher unit including a new front walkway, accessible ramp and riser.
Additionally, the boosters saved money for the new home side bleacher by re-using old aluminum plank, placing it on a new frame with new hardware, fencing, aisle rails, and new front walk planks. The boosters along with the school’s maintenance staff provided the manpower to assemble the bleacher saving over $20,000 in labor costs. In total, the sum of material costs for Plymouth-Shiloh Boosters was under $90,000 saving them substantially.
“The school board stepped up to contract for new lights with Musco Lighting for the sum of $138,000. Without the board purchasing the lights, and Farnham’s and Dave Fahrenholz’s willingness to work with our limited budget on the bleachers this move would not have been possible.”
– Todd Arnold, Buildings & Grounds, Plymouth-Shiloh Local School District
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