YORKVILLE — Roger Herbert is in his second season as head football coach at Buckeye Local.

Not only is the Union Local graduate trying to change the Panthers culture, he is also trying to change the scenery at World War II Memorial Stadium, whih was built in 1947, with a Stadium Improvement Plan.

“When I first came here I took a tour of the stadium and realized there are a lot of things we needed to upgrade … just to be able to keep up with other districts and to give our student-athletes a nice place to play and a nice facility,” Herbert said. “I’ve kind of partnered with a good friend of mine Jeremy Greenwood, from Greencore Designs of St. Clairsville. He’s been the spearhead of what we need to do. He’s been checking into things and stuff like that for us.

“We’ve developed a four-phase plan to start. Phase One consists of installing air conditioning in our lockerroom. There are times when it is more than 100 degrees in there,” he explained. “Phase Two includes totally rebuilding the visitor’s coaches box which will also benefit us because we will have a vision of our practice field with windows on each side, plus we will also have a storage area underneath it. I can say, as a (former) visiting coach, it (the current visitors coaches box) is in pretty bad shape.

“Our third phase consists of refurbishing our home bleachers,” he continued. “We’d like to get some actual seats in our reserved section instead of the bench-style. They will be much more comfortable. Then, we want to work on the visitor’s side seating because it really needs a lot of work.

“Phase four is really to get a whole new playing surface. In talking with Jeremy, we’ve kind of determined that a grass surface is the way to go for us. I’m actually a grass fan, as well. Turf has its advantages, but it can certainly get costly. Also, drainage issues would be hard for us to do down here.”

Of course, Herbert and Greenwood can’t do this by themselves.

“We’ve got our Touchdown Club going and we’re actually in the process of accepting donations from individuals, businesses and alumni. We’ve actually secured a couple of anonymous donations that have helped us get started,” he noted. “We’re always willing to accept any donations. As soon as our funding comes in, we’re rolling with this as soon as we can.”

When asked for a timeline, Herbert said, “The air conditioning will be in this season. Hopefully we can get to that coaches box. It should only take about a week to build it. The field will be a year-or-two away, but that’s our goal. It may take longer. It just depends on our fundraisers and our funds. We’re doing everything through our Touchdown Club and they’ve been fabulous in helping us out.”

He also stressed that residents of the district will not be taxed for any of the work.

“Not a dollar is coming from the school district. All the money we raise is from our fundraisers or donations.”

For those who wish to donate, there will be a four-phase donor board where everyone that makes a donation will be recognized. There will be platinum, gold, silver and bronze categories. The board will be permanently placed at the stadium and on display for everyone to see.

“We’re not complaining about what should’ve or could’ve been done in the past, we’re here to just fix things,” he said. “I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

Anyone wishing to contribute to the project or has any questions can call Herbert’s wife, Melanie, at (740) 310-1224. There is also a Facebook page called ‘Buckeye Local Touchdown Club.’

“Our ultimate goal after we complete the four phases is to build off of our existing homeside bleachers. We want to expand out in the grassy area and build a brand new lockerroom/shower house for our guys,” he said. “On the front side of the structure would be a new concession stand. That way the people that are working it can see the game as they are working. It also eliminates the crowding in the hallway we have underneath our bleachers.

“That’s down the road, but is in our plans and ideas.”

He said everyone in the district is on board with the plan.

“The board of education has been totally receptive to this. They are 200 percent behind this. We’ve been given the green light to go ahead and get it fixed.”

Greenwood also stressed the importance of the upgrades.

“In the lockerroom alone, you look at the shower and restroom facilities. They’ve got 46 players and two fixtures in the bathroom. Logistically, trying to get through a halftime and get everyone ready for the second half is almost impossible,” he acknowledged. “Future expansion would be great, but we want to keep some of the things that were started such as the concrete bleachers. But, there are some things that need changed from over the years.”

He said there are a lot of stricter guidelines that need to be followed, unlike when the stadium was constructed.

“You’ve got ADA compliances you have to worry about now that you didn’t back then. You’ve got other standards, as well, like HVAC, heating and electronics. I’m sure there weren’t electronic scoreboards back then. We’ve been tinkering around with some different ideas and drawing up some things. The visitors bleachers are not in compliance with today’s standards. They’re open and not even set on cement pads, so of them are kind of sinking into the ground.”

Both Herbert and Greenwood said there is no estimate yet for the project.

“We haven’t figured up square footages yet,” Greenwood noted. “Most people don’t want to donate to something unless they see something you’re actually doing, so let’s move forward on what is the most urgent need first. We’ll take care of that, show them and then move forward.”

He also said a new scoreboard could serve dual purposes, as far as advertising.

“You can get a huge one like St. Clairsville has, but the advantage that Buckeye Local has here is it can have advertising on both sides with Ohio 7 right there. You get somebody advertising on the back of there and it’s going to be visible 365 days a year. There’s a couple of options with stuff, it just depends how things are perceived and how we go.”

Herbert said it is unlikely that the coaches box will be done for the first home game on Thursday, Aug. 23 against Martins Ferry.

“If not, there is a stretch where we are away for two weeks, so maybe we can get it up-and-running by then. If not then, definitely by the end of 2018.”

Another plan is to remove the pine trees on the east end of the complex that were planted for the veterans.

“We’d like to do a ceremony with the veterans. We’re planning some type of monument that people can appreciate and look at,” he said. “The trees have to come out eventually. They’re getting into the storm drains and catch basins.”