A donation from a local family will give the Manitowoc Public School District enough money for the reconstruction of the Municipal Field.
The $200,000 from the Jones family was presented at last night’s school board meeting.
It is enough money for the district to start work within the next year.
Maurice Jones told the board that the donation is for gratitude toward the district for teaching their kids.
“There was a need,” he explained. “And then you hear okay, how much do you need to get the project going? And Patrice (his wife) and I talk and say well, why can’t we do that? Why can’t we help? And so, we want to.”
He also made one request to the school board, name the field after Lincoln Baseball Coach Bruce Steinbecker, not a company.
Jones says Steinbecker has given 27 years of his life to coaching, which is admirable, but he does it for the kids.
“I told Bruce we were insistent on this,” Jones told the board. “I know it puts you in a bad way Bruce because you don’t want to put your own name on their, but that’s how I feel about it. Because his name represents all these teachers’ names. All these people who give their time.”
Interim Superintendent Lee Thennes said that the district is grateful for the donation because, “we’ll get our playing field and playing surface up to not only par but it will be excellent even in relationship to our peers, which we can’t say now.”
Other construction of the area would include a new concession stand and bleacher upgrades.
There could also be a new commons area with bathrooms, which isn’t at the current Manitowoc Lincoln baseball park. $900,000 was approved by the school board last year to go toward the reconstruction.
Money was also being fundraised.
Construction on the baseball field won’t get started until next year.
