MANSFIELD — The Mansfield City Schools board of education has approved a $764,000 contract with the Motz Group to replace the turf at Arlin Field.
The field will be paid for with permanent improvement funds — a segment of the district’s budget that can’t be used for operating expenses.
Facilities Manager Robert Booth told board members the current field was last installed in 2011 and meant to last 10 years.
“They stopped the warranty on the field in 2019 so every year we have the field inspected and they run a number on it, it’s called the G Max score,” Booth said. “When that that G max number hits 200 they recommend that you don’t use the field.”
Booth said the turf field is still safe to use and has an average score of 187, but Booth said it likely won’t be playable for the 2025-2026 school year.
Booth said work on the field will begin after the last playoff game in November and be completed by March. He also told the board part of the project will include a layer underneath the turf which won’t need to be replaced as often.
Booth and Supt. Stan Jefferson said the turf replacement project is important for the safety of players. It’s also a requirement for the district to continue hosting playoff games after the 2024-2025 season.
Black Culture Club receives $13,000 grant from Richland County Foundation
The board also approved a field trip to Washington, D.C. for Mansfield Senior High School’s Black Culture club in March.
The club received a $13,740 grant from the Richland County Foundation to fund the trip.
Ed Golden, the club’s advisor, said he was ecstatic when he discovered his grant application had been approved. He also said the foundation gave even more than he asked for.
“They’ve been very good to us,” Golden said.
The plan is to take the around 20 students and five chaperones for a multi-day trip that would include visits to the National African American History Museum, the Martin Luther King Memorial and other monuments.
Golden said he hopes to cover most of students’ expenses using grant funds. He sought grant funding from several organizations to cover the cost of the trip and also received a $2,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation.
“When you talk about hotels, meals, bus, travel — it’s significant amount of money,” he said. “Other school districts, they travel to Washington, D.C., and they ask each kid to give $600, $700, $800. I can’t do that here in Mansfield.”
Golden said the cheapest quote for transportation was $9,000 from Barons Bus.
Golden described Black Culture Club as a safe space for students to discuss issues that matter to them, advocate for equal rights and learn about Black history. He said the group is open to students of all races, genders and backgrounds.
Golden said he tries to take the club on one field trip each year.
In the past, the group has visited the National Veteran’s Museum in Columbus and the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, often with financial support from the Richland County Foundation.
He’s wanted to take students to nation’s capital since he took over as the club’s advisor 10 years ago.
