Sports Complex May Get Help From Middlefield Vlg.
"I think we need to be in a position as a village to move forward, if we, in fact, can. I think it's for a good cause." Ben Garlich
Cardinal Schools could be one step closer to building a new $1.5 million sports complex with help from the Middlefield Village Council.
Mayor Ben Garlich and village Solicitor Thomas Lee met with representatives of the Husky Nation Foundation in a meeting recently that included the school’s attorney, Cardinal Superintendent Scott Hunt and HNF Board President Gary Cox.
The group is still working through their nonprofit 501(c)3 status, which is a three- to six-month application process, but they can start fundraising as soon as that process is completed, Lee said later that day at the council meeting.
Garlich said the council would at least start to look at it from their side.
“I asked the finance committee if they were still supportive of it and they mostly were,” Garlich said. “Obviously, there are a lot of questions. I don’t think anything will happen until next year.”
The school board’s council agreed any funding from the village would be paid to the school directly, not to the nonprofit, in exchange for rights to use the facilities, Lee said.
“Next is to look at the financial perspective, if we either have the money or we don’t have the money, so those questions will be answered,” Garlich said. “I think we need to be in a position as a village to move forward, if we, in fact, can. I think it’s for a good cause.”
Lee referenced a similar situation with Chester Township and the West Geauga field. He said although it’s a different community, “it’s a doable thing.”
No specifics were discussed at the meeting, but Garlich said he wishes them the best.
“Our motive here is for a healthy community and a healthy school,” Garlich added. “I think that’s part of the value of the schools, so I think it’s critical that we support them.”
