Published: May 13, 2008 11:04 am            

Clinton Athletic Boosters outline goals

CLINTON — Members of the Clinton Athletic Boosters Club appeared before the Clinton School Board on Monday night to submit the bids solicited for the replacement of the football field lights at Clinton High School.

Board member Thea Engelson asked about financing for the project, and Superintendent Randy Clegg noted the lights would be paid for in part by a local gaming grant, and stated he had been presented with a letter outlining the amount of money the booster club had in the bank, which was more that enough to cover the remaining cost of the project.

Booster club president Dick Farwell stated the group “finally made the right decision to hire a consultant,” and presented a short movie created to outline the club’s goals for the future.

“We’ve been very successful to date with a budget in cash of over $1 million, and we’re just getting started,” Farwell said. “Our goal is a minimum of $4 million, and we believe we can reach that goal.”

Farwell noted the group is currently working on grading, seeding and landscaping a new girls’ softball field, and hopes to have the project completed in the next year or two.

The movie opened with Ken Ploen, a graduate of Clinton High School who led the Iowa Hawkeye football team to a Rose Bowl victory in 1957. Ploen noted that the athletic facilities were in a state of disrepair when he played on them in the 1950s, and most have not been changed or updated since then.

“I look back at my years at Clinton High School as my starting point, where my background came from,” Ploen said. “I think it’s pretty important that the high school gets back up-to-date and gives the kids the place to get that type of education and background for their later years.”

The movie outlined desired projects for the district, including a state-of-the-art press box, new bathrooms and handicap-accessible bleachers at the football field with seating for 3,000, as well as the creation of a new baseball and softball diamond with seating for 300, and a new soccer field.

Don Roode, a member of the booster club since 1969, appeared on the video to urge residents to donate to the project.

“The only way that we can do this is to have support from the people that donate to the athletic programs at the school,” Roode said. “You’re not only helping somebody else’s child, but you’re helping your own child. It would be a great thing to have new facilities that we can say we’re proud of, and have people come into town.”

Clegg noted that the projects being planned by the Athletic Boosters Club, also referred to as the Restoring Royalty Campaign, are “going to be a mammoth undertaking by both the district and the booster club.” The board adopted a list of protocols for developing and implementing the projects in an effort to ensure consistency throughout the decision-making process.

“This will keep us in compliance with state competitive bidding laws,” Clegg said. “And ensure that the projects come to reality like everybody would like them to.”

        

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