Tipp Pride Association asks for school board cooperation on stadium fundraising

Founder said it feels like school board opposes work by non-profit.

TIPP CITY — Leaders of the private effort to raise money to complete renovations of the Tipp City Park stadium told Board of Education members they need their cooperation, not opposition.

“Where is our support here? This isn’t our stadium, this is everyone’s stadium,” said Mashell Stith, one of the founders of Tipp Pride Association, a nonprofit organization formed to raise stadium project.

She and another founder Scott George made a presentation Dec. 12 on the history of the organization formed five years ago to raise money privately for a stadium project.

The group was formed to allow the Tipp City Exempted Village Schools Board of Education to focus on meeting district facilities’ needs. The last effort to pass a bond issue for new elementary classrooms in 2019 failed. Work is under way on another classrooms proposal.

Tipp Pride so far has worked to raise money for new turf at the stadium and a new concession/restrooms/storage building. The work completed has cost just over $2 million with fundraising continuing to pay off $413,000 owed on the second phase.

A third phase won’t begin until that debt is paid, George said.

Among remaining work are added bleachers, press box, lighting and scoreboard, among other features. A current cost estimate for that work was not available.

The COVID-19 pandemic pretty much shut down the fundraising efforts, but Tipp Pride is working to reinvigorate the effort, the board was told. George said the volunteer organization thinks there has been a loss of institutional knowledge with new school administrators including the superintendent, business manager, athletic director and treasurer among others along with new school board members.

Fundraising efforts also have been harmed by lack of support from the school board and statements and questioning taking place during board meetings, Stith and George said.

George pointed to board questioning of Tipp Pride contracts for pledges during public discussions and questioning of the non-profit’s financial stability.

“You have hindered our ability to collect,” George said. “Never speculate about Tipp Pride.” If someone has a question, they should ask, he said.

Board member Theresa Dunaway pointed to rumors in the community about the project. She has frequently questioned Tipp Pride, including its contracts with donors.

“We don’t know what we are supposed to do. Sometimes we are partners, sometimes we are not. I have asked, ‘What is our role?’ ” Dunaway said.

For fundraising to continue and future work to move forward, “the donors have to believe Tipp Pride and the schools are working together,” George said.

Board President Simon Patry said he would support Tipp Pride “100 percent.”

He asked Superintendent Mark Stefanik to provide the board at its next work session with information on what the board could do to support the Tipp Pride effort.

“I urge them to keep on (with its efforts). What you have done so far, looks great,” board member Rick Mains said, adding better communication is obviously needed.

Tipp Pride Association has a website at tipppride.com and also is on Facebook.

Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com

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