I Applaud North Canton's Salute to Don Hertler Sr. and Dick Miller

Congratulations to North Canton resident Randy Santangelo for recently convincing the Board of Education to name the varsity football field after Don Hertler Sr. and the varsity baseball field after Dick Miller.

They are two deserving individuals and legends in this town. Now, if we could just give them the kind of outdoor athletic facilities that approach their level of excellence.

The football stadium was dedicated way back in 1946. It looks every bit a structure that has 65 years of age on it. The seating is cramped, the aisles lack railings for the elderly to navigate the stairs. There are whispers of structural issues.

Hoover's baseball field at the corner of Wise Avenue and 7th Street was the gem of Stark County 25 to 30 years ago. We even hosted post-season tournament play. Now the outfield slopes severely downhill and the irrigation system is woeful and inadequate.

Countless well-intentioned folks have worked behind the scenes over the years to raise money to improve the outdoor athletic facilities. It has been fragmented and for the most part unsuccessful. We have tried clubs, booster organizations, committees, councils and the list goes on and on.

Proudly we manage to pass levies to support our school system's top-notch education programs. Across 7th Street, however, the athletic facilities with such proud traditions have been withering in front of our eyes, and neighboring schools all around us continue to figure out how to get improvements done.

If we really want to honor Don Hertler Sr. and Dick Miller appropriately, let's work together to give our athletic facilities the boost they sorely need. I offer my top 10 list of priorities to get our athletic facilities back on track:

1. Form a single comprehensive committee to work on the project. This would include representatives, coaches, athletes, taxpayers, city government, Greentown, and business leaders. The plan should be communicated clearly and publicly.

2. Install artificial surfaces on at least two fields on the complex to give football, baseball, lacrosse, softball and soccer a place to practice and/or play. We live in Northeast Ohio; it is a necessity.

3. Renovate the home football stands at Memorial Stadium. The roof comes in handy on a rainy Friday night, but it is no secret the structure needs addressed and soon.

4. Once the land deal is complete, turn the Dogwood fields into four ball fields including allowing Hoover varsity softball to move from Price Park. For a team with four state titles to its credit to have that facility for their home field is ridiculous. Concession stand and restrooms in the middle would be a wise use of land. There may also be potential there for creating a recreational draw for the public as well.

5. Build a multipurpose, multistory locker room and weight room facility for all outdoor sports to use.

6. Adjacent to the locker rooms, construct indoor hitting and throwing space for baseball and softball. Using the gym for such training is not adequate.

7. Move the freshman baseball team off of the elementary playground at to one of the new fields at Dogwood. People outside North Canton I talk to cannot believe one of our high school baseball teams plays there.

8. Level out the outfield playing surface on the varsity baseball field. The left fielder can only be seen from the waist up from the stands. The irrigation system is woeful. The infield alone has seven spots that don't even get water and a garden hose is all that can be used to wet down the skin part of the infield.

9. If we can't resurface the 7th Street parking lot, let's at least line it for parking spaces. I am convinced that we could get 30 percent more cars in there on a Friday night if it were laid out and marked correctly.

10. All the sports have booster clubs that end up being all the work in the hands of a few and inconsistent financial participation. Institute some mandatory fees for parents of all athletes in order to participate. If finances are an issue, the parents volunteer their time in lieu of payment.

Yes, it would cost lots of money. But sports is one of the lifebloods of the school and the North Canton community. A home Hoover football game on Friday is still the No. 1 attraction in town. 

Many have tried hard over the years toward achieving such goals listed above. However, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Communities and schools all around us have figured it out — and so can we!