22-03-2025
Geneva schools looking into athletic facility
GENEVA — The Geneva Area City School District is continuing to plan for an athletic facility.
The board voted to bring on GPD Group in February, to help design the complex.
At a Wednesday GACS board meeting, Board President Michele Krieg detailed a presentation she heard from the firm at a Tuesday stakeholder meeting.
'We are very much in the infancy stages of this plan,' Krieg said.
The district has an agreement to play games at SPIRE Academy, which will expire in 2027.
Krieg said if the contract with SPIRE is not renewed and there is no athletic complex, there will be no district football, track or soccer.
'We cannot kick this can down the road any longer,' she said.
Krieg said there is a mistaken belief the district can go back to Memorial Field.
'Most of us know that that's not possible,' she said.
The district will need to do community outreach, Krieg said.
'Our approach to this has to be multi-facetted, and we have to have a very succinct and clear message about what we're doing,' she said.
Krieg said District Treasurer Shelley McDermott was concerned about relying on levies for the facility's construction, after a decades-old levy failed last November.
McDermott suggested the district apply for grants and find donors, Krieg said. McDermott was not present at the Tuesday and Wednesday meetings.
Interim Superintendent David Riley presented to the board on the possibility of redistricting its three elementary schools — Austinburg, Cork and Geneva Platt R. Spencer.
The school board, district staff and residents have been talking about redistricting how many students or which grades go to the district's elementary schools to alleviate population issues.
The district sent out a survey and had focus group meetings where people could talk about and brainstorm redistricting.
Riley said many parents preferred keeping their children at the school they were attending now.
'It's one thing to talk about moving kids around, but they're children first and foremost,' he said.
Krieg said the board has a lot to think about after hearing the presentation.
'This is a huge working process,' she said. 'There is absolutely no way that can happen next school year.'
Board member Brock Pierson said a strategy should be developed for redistricting before the project moves forward.
Board member Marti Milliken Dixon talked about committees the board formed to go through all district policies and see if they are consistent or need changing.
She said the committee has been looking to see if district policies are being affected by recent federal Executive Orders.
