LTHS Coaches Out Of Loop On Past Projects: Official

LA GRANGE, IL – A Lyons Township High School board member said this week it's important to involve coaches in decisions on the renovation of the girls varsity softball field.

In past cases, coaches have been left out of the loop on projects, which led to problems, said Paula Struwing, who was appointed to the board earlier this month.

She said the softball field project may affect the cross-country course.

Officials said it wouldn't, but that it would impact shot put and discus. They also said John Grundke, the school's athletic director, had been kept in the loop and is comfortable with the plan.

That prompted Struwing to discuss projects that were done years ago such as the South campus pool and fieldhouse.

"It wasn't that long ago that we built a pool at South Campus, and there are things that really should have been done that weren't done because the people most involved weren't consulted," she said.

One example is a partition known as a bulkhead, she said.

"You really can't move the bulkhead in there and make it a true 50-meter pool, so it's useless," Struwing said.

As for the fieldhouse, she said it has an indoor track, but the bleachers can't be put out.

She said the administration should not only consult with Grundke, but also the coaches involved, "so there isn't another one of those situations."

"Oh my goodness, there's so much I could say," Struwing said.

Superintendent Brian Waterman, who took the helm in 2021, said feedback is a priority.

"I have valued feedback, focus groups and surveys more than anything," Waterman said. "With the softball project, the softball coaches have been a part of that."

The board then voted to go out to bid for the softball field renovation.

In February, the school received a $2 million donation from the charitable fund of the late Stacy Ann Baker, who was a standout softball player at the school in the 1980s. That money is being used for the project.