By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
With week 10 closing out the high school football season for many schools, Galion City Schools had extra reason to celebrate Friday night with the dedication of the new press box at Unckrich Stadium.
Representatives for the groups that made the new press box possible were honored prior to Galion’s week 10 home game against Pleasant. After the National Anthem was played by the High School Marching Band, Galion Superintendent Jim Grubbs honored the groups at mid-field thanking them for their work to make the new press box possible.
After the ceremony, Grubbs shared his continued appreciation.
“I want to say thanks to everyone involved, and obviously without the Freese, that doesn’t happen,” Grubbs said. “Their generosity on that committee that took charge of the Freese Foundation dollars makes this an opportunity for Galion City Schools, and the host community of Galion to have something that most school districts don’t have. To have a press box of this caliber and to be able to use it for multiple things, it is just a great thing for the community of Galion to have.”
The press box, which is 499 square feet, cost a total of $227,000, with funding by the Egbert M. Freese Foundation, and the Galion City School District Board of Education.
Galion City Schools Athletic Director Kyle Baughn touched on a few of the functions for the new press box.
“It is wonderful. It is wonderful for the community, for the schools, and our kids. The number of additional things we will be able to host here is really key. Now we can bring in radio and TV and have a place for people to go, and have a place for hopefully playoff games. We would like to eventually host some playoffs. We finally have the field in great shape, this is really good shape for week 10. It is exciting we are planning on doing a band show next year on a Saturday night. So I think that will be fun. But the team work that it took to from the groups that were honored here tonight is pretty incredible.”
Brian Treisch, who announces for the Galion Tigers Marching Band, noted that the press box was a vast improvement, but had a few bugs to work out.
Voice of Galion Tigers Football Dave Spraw echoed Treisch’s sentiments.
“This is a major change from what we are used to, the other was decrepit and falling down around us,” Spraw said. “We were always having a difficult time while working, so we were looking forward to getting this one. As Brian (Treisch) said there are a few things we need to tweak, but we are working on getting that worked out, but it is great compared to what we had. ”
Other uses include high school, middle school and youth football; high school and alumni marching bands, high school, middle school, youth, and Graders baseball; high school, middle school, youth and YMCA track teams; the Pickle Run Festival and other community events; the Special Olympics; and various All-Star and OHSAA playoff games. The press box can also house multiple radio, television, internet and news reporters.
Contractors involved in the new press box included Fox Plumbing, Weithman Brothers, Finnegan Construction, Kahls Sound, Felty and Heinlen, Carter Electric, and Mid-Ohio Pipeline.