(St. Marys, Ohio) The Roughrider Philanthropic Association, the group in charge of completing the athletic complex announced they have chosen Louisville based Sightlines Athletic Facilities to design, construct and install a very advanced 4000 seat bleacher system.
With nearly $1.5 million in cash and pledges raised to date, the RPA needed to select a company that offered a solid, ADA compliant and safe system in order to insure they would have seating for the 8/24/18 home game against Sidney.
"All we ever promised is that we would deliver a functional, competitive and completed stadium by next year's first home game, the RPA could not be more proud of our partnership with SAF and the grandstands are a very important piece of that promise", said Dan Burke, Secretary and Treasurer of the RPA.
The completion of the stadium calls for not only grandstands but a scoreboard, lighting, concessions and restroom facility, perimeter fencing etc. Mike Makely, Executive Director of the St. Marys Community Foundation, said, "we have had a spike in campaign contributions in the last 3 weeks, everyone should know the RPA and the Community Foundation are committed to being good stewards of the community's money, we interviewed several firms and the system that SAF offered is perfect for our needs."
The RPA has offered a menu of opportunities for the community to support the project. The 500 Club is for individuals and families that would commit to a $3,000 or more pledge over a 5 year period. The Alumni Field program is for graduates of St. Marys Memorial High School and when the aggregate giving reaches $300,000, the field will be named Alumni Field. The Roughrider Society is for deferred giving. Many people who want to support the project have a fixed income, the Society allows people in this situation to be recognized for a gift now that will come out of their estate.
"None of us are as strong as all of us", said Gayle Masonbrink, Publisher of the Evening Leader and enthusiastic Saint Marys Memorial High School graduate, "I love the direction and the momentum of this project, it is all based on what is good for the students of St. Marys now. These kids have a lot of respect for the school's rich history, but the idea of every home game being an away game has come to an end, their future is now".
