College prepared to take over Don Drumm Field from City Schools

Marietta College plans to raise money to renovate facility

Aug. 18, 2003
Marietta College officials are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement with Marietta City Schools to take over ownership and maintenance of Don Drumm Field by Dec. 31, 2003. The College hopes to begin a fund-raising campaign soon to make renovations to the 69-year-old complex.

Marietta College President Jean A. Scott and Marietta City Schools Superintendent Greg Backus announced Monday, Aug. 18, 2003, that the College will take over operations of Don Drumm Field.

"The transfer of ownership of Don Drumm Field approved today marks a new chapter in the ongoing story of cooperation between Marietta College and the City Schools for the operation of the stadium," said Dr. Jean A. Scott, Marietta College’s president. "The Marietta College community is grateful to the City Schools for the work they have done to maintain and improve the stadium over the past years, and we recognize that it is now our turn to shoulder this responsibility. We expect to begin fundraising for improvements to the stadium, beginning with the field and the track, in the very near future, and to begin work as soon as the funds are in hand."

This will be the second major project for the athletic department at Marietta College in recent years. In January, the College’s $19 million Dyson Baudo Recreation Center opened with a new competition basketball/volleyball court, an eight-lane indoor track, climbing wall, two racquet ball courts and fitness center. In total the recreation center is more than 100,000 square feet.

The total cost of renovations to Don Drumm Field has not been determined.

"I believe that this is a good day for Marietta College students, for City Schools students, and for the community, and I look forward to the day when we will have a field and a stadium of which we will all be proud," Scott said. "Thanks to all who have worked hard to bring us to this point.

According to the agreement, the Board of Education of the Marietta City Schools will deed Don Drumm Field to Marietta College, approaching the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority to accomplish the transaction. Marietta College will pay legal and related fees associated with transfer of stadium ownership from the City Schools to the College. The transfer process will be completed and stadium ownership conveyed to the College no later than Dec. 31, 2003.

"The Port Authority, as stated by Ohio Revised Code, does not have to put the sale of property out to bid," said Doug Grize, president of the Southeast Ohio Port Authority. "If the Marietta School System wanted to put the property up for sale they would have to put it out for best bid. This way the community totally benefits from the transfer of the property. We are not receiving any compensation for our time or involvement. We will accept the transfer of the property and then transfer to the College."

After the transfer, Marietta College will immediately begin a fundraising effort to replace and improve the field and track, and as funding sources permit, to make other improvements to the complex to provide a facility of which the College, the City Schools and the City can be proud. The College will invest no less than $750,000 in the upgrade of Don Drumm. Work on the upgrade will begin as soon as possible once funding is secured.

"It is a win-win situation for the city, for Marietta College and for Marietta City Schools," said Greg Backus, superintendent for Marietta Schools.

Marietta City Schools and Marietta College will share equally all maintenance costs related to Don Drumm from July 1, 2003 until the transfer is completed. After that, Marietta College will provide for maintenance at Don Drumm without charge to the Marietta City Schools for 10 years from the date of the transfer. After that time, maintenance costs will be prorated between Marietta City Schools and Marietta College based on levels of usage (for example, number of games or events; hours of usage; etc.). The College and the City Schools will negotiate a maintenance cost sharing agreement prior to the date of ownership conveyance to be effective at the end of the 10-year period.

Marietta College will continue to have first priority in the scheduling of events at Don Drumm, and the Marietta City Schools will have second priority in perpetuity. A committee comprised of the athletics directors of Marietta College and Marietta City Schools and other representatives of the two institutions, as needed, will meet regularly to ensure the scheduling needs of both institutions are met.

Marietta College and Marietta City Schools will share logo, mascot, team colors and related identification information on scoreboards, and as applicable, on the playing field and track surfaces. Marietta City Schools will retain and maintain logo, mascot, team colors and related identification information in one locker room.

A Don Drumm Stadium Advisory Committee comprised of four representatives of Marietta College and three representatives of the Marietta City Schools will be constituted to recommend policies and practices to develop a "sinking fund" to provide for future upgrade and replacement of the field and track.

Marietta College will continue to provide access to Don Drumm Field for community events and for the individual recreational needs of citizens to the greatest degree possible consistent with the security of the property and the safety of the users.

History of Don Drumm Field

Influenced by unemployment and the economic depression, a movement began in the 1930s to erect a full-fledged stadium for use by the city, the Marietta Public School System and Marietta College. A stadium commission, consisting of Mayor F.A. Steadman, Frank L. Hayes, Harold S. Bates, Edwin B. Strecker, John H. McCoy, Thomas J. Summers, Allan T. Williamson and Lawson Scott, looked into and investigated all the possibilities.

In 1933, the CWA announced it would award $135,000 to Marietta for construction of the stadium. The project stimulated the economy by employing approximately 470 workers. The College, owning the land where it was built, deeded it to the City of Marietta on Dec. 11, 1933.

The deed, subject to the following restrictions, said that the "City of Marietta shall erect or cause to be erected on said premises, without cost to grantors, a Municipal Stadium, to be completed by Sept. 1, 1934.

In recognition of its donation, the College was given preferential rights to the new complex. The deed stated that Marietta College reserves the perpetual right to the use of the stadium. Second preference in the use is in favor of the Marietta City Public Schools.

The cost estimate for the facility, which would accommodate 4,300 people, was $200,000. Marietta City Council voted a bond issue of $35,000 for materials. The Board of Education donated fill dirt from High School Hill to elevate the area, which was in the flood plain, five feet. Ground was broken Dec. 31, 1933. While not completely finished, the stadium was dedicated on Friday, Oct. 5, 1934.

In the summer of 1963, the stadium became a major part of a city-wide clean-up campaign enacted by Mayor John A. Burnworth. The city made $6,000 available and the College added $1,400 into improvements to the running track and the College crews donated 800 to 1,000 man hours. Some of the improvements included sandblasting and painting the bleachers, new seats, an asphalt walkway from the main gate to the grandstand and work on the lavatories and locker rooms.

On March 31, 1966, the city leased the stadium to the College for a 15-year period — playing a key role in the expansion of the campus toward the Ohio River. The College paid all utilities and bore all the costs of maintenance and necessary improvements. The College still guaranteed the Marietta City Schools use of the stadium.

After approval from the Stadium Commission and Mayor Burnworth, the stadium was rededicated as Don Drumm Field on Sept. 24, 1966. Drumm was a 1915 graduate of MC and he received 18 letters in three sports over a six-year period. Drumm spent a total of 42 years at MC as both a player and a coach.

In 1968, MC football coach Joe McDaniel installed an underground watering system and crowned the field for $15,000. The College also erected a new press box and scoreboard, sharing the costs with the MHS booster club.

In 1981, a few weeks before the lease was to expire, there was a fire under the bleachers, causing close to $57,000 in damage. After insurance, MC paid $17,578. The College decided not to renew the lease and on July 15, 1981, the city deeded Don Drumm Field over to the Marietta Board of Education.

Marietta City Schools, with the help of the Tiger Athletic Booster Club, put in an all-weather track in 1993. The eight-lane track was later named Bob Annasenz Track.