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CSU plans new baseball field in Tremont

By Frank Pieffer

The project that has been presented by the university calls for a refurbishing Clark Field located in the Tremont neighborhood on Cleveland’s near West Side.

Tom Tontimonia, associate athletic director, said CSU will work with what is available at Clark Field. Tontimonia said, “It has been a work in progress,” and that the department has no timetable for official plans to be undertaken.

The lack of state funding for higher education that has plagued CSU’s efforts to expand and modernize will not hamstring plans for a new baseball field as private investors will bear the brunt of the cost. Tontimonia said that the project will be done with private money, as several investors have shown interest, but they are waiting for concrete plans to be in place before putting money forward.

CSU officials have been meeting with City Councilman Joe Cimperman and other neighborhood leaders in the Tremont area to discuss plans for the possibility of a new baseball field that would play host to CSU’s baseball team and offer the Ward 13 community a multiple-use facility. “Everything has been amicable between residents and CSU of-ficials,” Tontimonia said.

Cimperman said there is a possibility of designing a stadium structure that would include four different fields, three of which would be set aside for community use and Little League teams. However, the eventuality of CSU having a new baseball facility is not a sure bet as both sides have concerns and overriding factors that could hamper plans.

Tontimonia said the timetable is unpredictable because of political entities involved on both sides. “Bureaucracy can slow down the process,” Tontimonia said.

Cimperman echoed the same thoughts, saying that the community wants use of the field and doesn’t want to see it become just an annexation of the university.

Also, plans will never materialize without the authorization from the city parks department, from which there has been no word, Cimperman said. Although, community members seem comfortable with plans they still have many questions.

Cimperman said, “The only way the plan would work is if the neighbor-hood would have use of green space.”

Although, still in its initial stages, the proposal for a new baseball field seem to be heading in the right direction as both sides work to have the project materialized and secure their futures and interests in the facility.

According to these officials, the realization of a dual-use baseball complex that would revitalize a neighborhood and expand CSU into the surrounding community could be a momentous occasion as both parties continue working toward completion.

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