Cloverleaf unveils new field, stadium upgrades

WESTFIELD TWP. — Alternating shades of bright green field turf will provide a brand-new playing surface Friday night for Cloverleaf High School's football season opener, one of numerous upgrades at Gene Clark Stadium. Roughly $3.5 million has gone into replacement of the football field, an eight-lane stadium track, lighting, a new scoreboard and upgrades to the venue's entrance, fencing and concession area. "Medina County hasn't seen a field like this," Cloverleaf Superintendent Daryl Kubilus said Wednesday. "This is a high-quality field for our students and crowning achievement for us. We know how hard our kids work. The field is worthy of the Cloverleaf kids. Cloverleaf has been so good at making do with what we can for our kids. This is the first time we're able to provide an athletic facility at this level." The new playing surface will be ready Friday night while most other new amenities are expected to be finished in October. New stadium lights should be functional by next week. No general fund or new taxpayer money has been used across the $3.5 million upgrade budget, officials said. Spending has reportedly been covered by $1.5 million in profit gained through the refinancing of Cloverleaf Elementary School, $400,000 in Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation reimbursement, and $300,000 in ticket revenue. Kubilus said the remainder of costs are being paid for with existing permanent improvement levy revenue and proceeds from the NEXUS Pipeline project. NEXUS Pipeline owners are attempting to lower the project's tax valuation from $127 million to $44 million, the latest of multiple tries to appeal payout and cut into what was originally promised to local municipalities and school districts. Roughly 38 percent of an originally promised $7.44 million payout has been secured by Cloverleaf, according to officials. "This has all been paid for without a bond issue to our community," Kubilus said. "In essence, we've upgraded all of our facilities without a bond issue. I don't think there are many school districts in the state that can say that." Significant modern upgrades to Gene Clark Stadium date back to 2003, when community donations allowed for installation of a Veterans Memorial that is now the only visible site remnant from that time period. "Our community has stepped up so much with private funding and donations for our projects," Cloverleaf athletic director Craig Walkup said. "With the Veterans Memorial it was the VFW and American Legion helping so much. That's the kind of community we live in and we're happy to have a lot of nice, new things to show them this week. The new area around the memorial is also much more welcoming for visitors to get a closer look at it." That was followed two years later by construction of new locker rooms, then replacement of the football field in 2007. New visitor and home bleachers were installed in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Kubilus thanked Cloverleaf graduate and founder of Seville-based Agricultural Design Inc. Ryan Gregoire for helping extend the old field's shelf life by about four years. "This is his second time doing the field for us now," Kubilus said. "He's done countless hours of routine maintenance for us to let us stretch that life to 14 years. The last couple of years, Ryan kept telling me it might be time for another replacement. I kept saying, 'Talk to me in a year,' but the time has finally come. We're excited for our kids, our fans, and our district." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.