Donnell upgrades?
Change comes slow to Hancock County and Findlay. Sometimes I think we are stuck in some kind of time-space continuum.
Conservative in politics and often conservative in upgrades to facilities and changes in sports too.
It’s the just the way it is here in the heartland of Ohio.
That’s why I’m not surprised when stadiums like Fremont and Sandusky get renovated and we get the same old, same old at Donnell Stadium.
I guess I started thinking about Donnell Stadium last week when I covered McComb’s playoff game with Norwalk St. Paul. Some of the boys from Fremont Ross that I know took me through and gave me a tour of the renovated facility. Man it knocked my socks off.
I saw the new lockerroom, huge training room, meeting room, coaches’ office, equipment room complete with laundry facilities. It was a thing of beauty.
As much as we love history here I was surprised not to find one single shred of history about Findlay’s venerable old stadium on the Internet. When was it built? Last time it was renovated? Etc.
Don’t get me wrong I like Donnell Stadium. Even though I wasn’t a native Findlay resident, I remember my uncle bringing me over here as a kid and watching Moeller play Findlay High School in the 1970s and we ran many track meets against St. Mikes out there on the track growing up, hell I even remember running a 100-yard dash there in a junior high meet and no I didn‘t finish last.
But when I travel around and see some of the other facilities around the area like in Fremont and Tiffin. Donnell seems to lose some of its appeal. The concrete stands are chipping away in some places, the visitors bleachers are nothing to write home about and the facilities underneath the stadium seem antiquated when compared to Fremont and other places. Fremont even had a fundraising effort not only to renovate the football field, they also build a new swimming pool and wrestling room with lockerrooms adjacent to the high school --- all with private donations in a town half the size of Findlay and without the financial resources that are available here in Flag City USA.
Even the field surface is unplayable and Donnell Stadium, which is usually a hot bed of prep playoff activity because of its central location, has been dark on Friday and Saturday nights since the regular season ended. Not to mention the biggest complaint people have about the stadium, which is the lack of parking for big games and the big crowds the games draw.
So what happens now? Rumor has it that they are putting in a synthetic turf surface much like the ones they have in Fremont and Tiffin. No one from the high school is willing to confirm that but from everything I’ve heard from people in the know it’s almost a done deal. Hell as many times as they’ve dropped new grass down on the field it should have been done years ago. It’s a step in the right direction.
But they should do even more. My first thought was “Doze Donnell” make it a community project and start from scratch. In a town steeped in tradition that will never happen. Get rid of the track at Donnell, it serves little purpose but as a practice facility. A few junior high meets and a high school meet takes place at the stadium each year. It’s only six lanes and the lanes are very narrow at that. The city renovated The Cube, why not join forces with the schools, and UF to build a quality 8-lane track somewhere in the city that can be used by the entire community. Walkers and joggers of all ages use the all-weather track on a daily basis in Fostoria.
Donnell Stadium will undergo some changes this year or next but nobody’s giving away the plan just yet. In the end, if they do put a new surface in at Donnell Stadium, I hope they do it right and give the old girl the total makeover that she richly deserves.
Anyone out there want to weigh in with an opinion? Do you like Donnell, hate Donnell? What should be done with the stadium?
NOTEWORTHY:
HOOPS GALORE: Ready to get your basketball freak on? You’ll have your chance this weekend. The Blanchard Valley Conference girls basketball preview is set for Friday night at Cory-Rawson beginning at 6 p.m. You can take a look at the girls teams in the MAL Saturday night at New Riegel when they host their annual basketball preview beginning at 7:30.
AP DISTRICT MEETING: The AP’s Northwest District meeting at the Courier went smoothly until Division V. Tempers became a little short sorting out the quarterback situation. Lots of stories but probably none that can be published here. The all-district selections will be released for the Northwest District will be released Tuesday.
NEWSWORTHY:
Wild turkey lives, dies in the fast lane
Ohio State coverage from the Plain Dealer (Also a story about St. Edward’s football coach being placed on leave)
More OSU coverage from the Columbus Dispatch
Findlay Courier local sports
Tanker explosion leaves one dead in Lima
Owens Community College fires AD Welling
Conservative in politics and often conservative in upgrades to facilities and changes in sports too.
It’s the just the way it is here in the heartland of Ohio.
That’s why I’m not surprised when stadiums like Fremont and Sandusky get renovated and we get the same old, same old at Donnell Stadium.
I guess I started thinking about Donnell Stadium last week when I covered McComb’s playoff game with Norwalk St. Paul. Some of the boys from Fremont Ross that I know took me through and gave me a tour of the renovated facility. Man it knocked my socks off.
I saw the new lockerroom, huge training room, meeting room, coaches’ office, equipment room complete with laundry facilities. It was a thing of beauty.
As much as we love history here I was surprised not to find one single shred of history about Findlay’s venerable old stadium on the Internet. When was it built? Last time it was renovated? Etc.
Don’t get me wrong I like Donnell Stadium. Even though I wasn’t a native Findlay resident, I remember my uncle bringing me over here as a kid and watching Moeller play Findlay High School in the 1970s and we ran many track meets against St. Mikes out there on the track growing up, hell I even remember running a 100-yard dash there in a junior high meet and no I didn‘t finish last.
But when I travel around and see some of the other facilities around the area like in Fremont and Tiffin. Donnell seems to lose some of its appeal. The concrete stands are chipping away in some places, the visitors bleachers are nothing to write home about and the facilities underneath the stadium seem antiquated when compared to Fremont and other places. Fremont even had a fundraising effort not only to renovate the football field, they also build a new swimming pool and wrestling room with lockerrooms adjacent to the high school --- all with private donations in a town half the size of Findlay and without the financial resources that are available here in Flag City USA.
Even the field surface is unplayable and Donnell Stadium, which is usually a hot bed of prep playoff activity because of its central location, has been dark on Friday and Saturday nights since the regular season ended. Not to mention the biggest complaint people have about the stadium, which is the lack of parking for big games and the big crowds the games draw.
So what happens now? Rumor has it that they are putting in a synthetic turf surface much like the ones they have in Fremont and Tiffin. No one from the high school is willing to confirm that but from everything I’ve heard from people in the know it’s almost a done deal. Hell as many times as they’ve dropped new grass down on the field it should have been done years ago. It’s a step in the right direction.
But they should do even more. My first thought was “Doze Donnell” make it a community project and start from scratch. In a town steeped in tradition that will never happen. Get rid of the track at Donnell, it serves little purpose but as a practice facility. A few junior high meets and a high school meet takes place at the stadium each year. It’s only six lanes and the lanes are very narrow at that. The city renovated The Cube, why not join forces with the schools, and UF to build a quality 8-lane track somewhere in the city that can be used by the entire community. Walkers and joggers of all ages use the all-weather track on a daily basis in Fostoria.
Donnell Stadium will undergo some changes this year or next but nobody’s giving away the plan just yet. In the end, if they do put a new surface in at Donnell Stadium, I hope they do it right and give the old girl the total makeover that she richly deserves.
Anyone out there want to weigh in with an opinion? Do you like Donnell, hate Donnell? What should be done with the stadium?
NOTEWORTHY:
HOOPS GALORE: Ready to get your basketball freak on? You’ll have your chance this weekend. The Blanchard Valley Conference girls basketball preview is set for Friday night at Cory-Rawson beginning at 6 p.m. You can take a look at the girls teams in the MAL Saturday night at New Riegel when they host their annual basketball preview beginning at 7:30.
AP DISTRICT MEETING: The AP’s Northwest District meeting at the Courier went smoothly until Division V. Tempers became a little short sorting out the quarterback situation. Lots of stories but probably none that can be published here. The all-district selections will be released for the Northwest District will be released Tuesday.
NEWSWORTHY:
Wild turkey lives, dies in the fast lane
Ohio State coverage from the Plain Dealer (Also a story about St. Edward’s football coach being placed on leave)
More OSU coverage from the Columbus Dispatch
Findlay Courier local sports
Tanker explosion leaves one dead in Lima
Owens Community College fires AD Welling
posted by --J-- @ 7:08 AM
3 Comments:
At 7:29 AM,
Anonymous said…
The voice of the Oilers told me they were putting in field turf, like Fremont and Lima. The Oilers play there for free, I would like UF to put up some money, along with other corporations in town along with alumi fund raising. Remove the track, move field closer to home side. Mansfield is a great place to watch game, so close to action. Move the light polls on visitor side, put them BEHIND the seating. Upgrade the lousy sound system. The home side needs some cosetic work, lets face it, its old. You could not replace Donnell, to much tradition, class and memories. The location is great, great surroundings with the pond, the neighborhood, it must stay there. With field turf, practice field not needed, make it parking. Findlay has enough money, along with the Donnell trust fund. Donnell could be the jewel of NW Ohio. I hate the way the keep everything hush hush. If they were more open, more people would be willing to help.
At 9:24 AM,
Anonymous said…
Asking Findlay high officials will get you nowhere on this topic. It's not run by them. Being a shared facility it does indeed need to be shared in financial responsibilities if appropriate.
What's needed?
1. Field turf (done deal it's coming).
2. Remove the track. Field turf needs a larger area to put it in properly. It has a concrete footer that cannot be close to the ball players. This forces the track out. Also the bleaches on the visitor’s side will move back.
3. Move the visitor side lights back behind the stands. With the track ouut of the way this will be possible.
4. PARKING. Two practice fields is one too many already. The south field would be the best parking location. This is so overdue.
That's phase 1.
Phase 2. Update the home locker rooms, stands, etc.
At 10:30 AM,
Anonymous said…
Also a new coaching staff if they end up 6-4 or worse next year.
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