SPORTS BEAT by Peter Jakey–Gilpin ?is the place to be?

It is about time someone stepped up and made a decision regarding Gilpin Memorial Field. Monday night Rogers City Area School superintendent Dan Byrne and the board of education put their foot down and have announced the sports complex is staying exactly where it is, and where it has been for decades. The board was looking at its master plan during Monday night?s workshop session. The master plan is a road map that governmental entities use to plan for the future. It needs tweaking and adjusting from time to time. Some boards do it more often than others. In the current master plan, Byrne said there was a notation that there had been a hope that the game facilities would be moved to the high school campus.

?With our sports boosters being so active and anxious to help out, they really need to know where we are going before they put any time and effort into it,? said Byrne. ?I wanted the board to come to a consensus about it so we can move forward with updates and renovations.

Byrne added, ?We decided that Gilpin Field is the place to be, and that?s where we are going to concentrate our efforts. Hopefully, we put to rest any talk about moving it. We have things to do and updates to make. We want to make sure that if we are spending the time and the money, and using these human resources, that it?s not going to be moved.? To that I say, bravo! To even think about moving the sports complex to the high school campus is unreachable pie in the sky at this point. It sounds so good on paper, but especially in these economic times, it just isn?t feasible.

I?m not an expert in this area, but I?m sure the cost to move the football game field alone, would be astronomical. Just think about the fence or wall that would have to go up around the field for the people who wanted to save a few bucks and watch the game from their vehicle. That happens in Mio. There is an area beyond one of the end zones where vehicles can park and see all the action, and not have to pay. There wasn?t space for another vehicle. I commented to myself that someone needs to put slats through the fence to block the view.

The athletic budget needs all the funds it can get and Gilpin remains an ideal location for getting the best bang for the buck. That is just one of several reasons I can think of why the topic shouldn?t be breached again until a pile of money, and I mean a big pile of money, is dropped in the laps of the district. There was a lot of work put into the baseball and softball game fields, as well as the football practice field. The turf of the game football field was renovated last year. An extra softball field is being developed, but looks to be on hold for a reason that hasn?t been made known to me.

Another reason I?m pleased with t

he decision is a group like the revitalized Huron Sports Boosters can start raising funds to bring it up to standards. ?We are probably the only football facility in northern Michigan that still has out houses. It is a reflection of our community, and we need to bring it up to what our community standards are,? said booster president Jay Schuiteman. ?We have some big dreams and hopefully we can accomplish those dreams, and help the school to bring the facility up to where it should be.? A restroom facility would be a priority, but it could include a combination of a new permanent concession stand and lockers.

I still remember former booster president Mike Stempky going before the school asking to build such a facility. That had to be more than 10 years ago. He didn?t get the support from the board and the plan was dead on arrival. The decision caught me a little by surprise this week, but it was one that has been long in the coming.