Published: November 01, 2009 04:30 am      

MARK MAYNARD: Time to give back to Putnam Stadium 11/01/09

Where were you in 1937?

Here are some headlines:

-Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated for a second term as president. Later in the year his New Deal proposal is voted down.

-Amelia Earhart disappears over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight at the equator.

-Germany’s flying ship the Hindenberg exploded into flames over New Jersey.

It was also the year that Tomcat Stadium - later to be known as Putnam Stadium - opened for business.

Seventy-two years ago, when the stadium was built with WPA funds for $6,500, it was done with the best materials of that time. The concrete bleachers had wooden planks nailed to them for the comfort of fans, who sat on what is now the visitor’s side of the field so the sun wouldn’t be in their eyes while watching their beloved Tomcats on a Saturday afternoon.

It became the home of the Ashland Tomcats and has been a place or pride for the community for the past seven decades.

For years, the Tomcats played games in front of huge crowds at Armco Field. They were a juggernaut, dominating all-comers with a fierce football team that punished opponents with a physical style.

But it was a team without a true home.

It had a following like few others. The Tomcats routinely outdrew the professional football team, the Ashland Armcos, so much so that when the NFL was formed it didn’t seem like a good idea to invite Ashland to the party. The Armcos played from 1925-29 and went 28-9-4, so it wasn’t like they were bad.

But the Tomcats were the hot ticket in town.

When Putnam Stadium was built in 1937, the Tomcats were going to have their own place. Memories were going to be made in the stadium that was built plenty strong, but not built to last a lifetime.

Putnam Stadium has been a friend to the Ashland community, not just to the Tomcats.

There have been concerts played there, graduations held there, revivals preached there. It has a legacy beyond football and is on the national historic registry. But there are some signs that all is not well.

Like the rest of us, she’s showing her age.

Like the rest of us, it’s shifting where it shouldn’t be shifting.

Like the rest of us, it could use some propping up.

The Putnam Stadium Restoration Committee has been active for two years putting together plans for the future. They want new locker rooms, an all-purpose surface, new restrooms and concession stands, new lights, a new press box and a paved parking lot adjacent to a turfed practice field, among other items. While it may seem pie-in-the-sky, the time has come to act.

You may have sticker shock over the price tag - an estimated $7 million to do everything the committee wants done - but it is not as outlandish as you may think.

And if something isn’t done soon to the infrastructure, the Tomcats may be a team without a home again.

“Can anybody imagine a Tomcat home game not being played in Putnam Stadium?” said committee chairman Greg Jackson.

That’s not a scare tactic from the committee, just a fact. When safety issues are compromised, that will be it. It could happen in a year or it could happen in five years. But the stadium is not going to stand forever. And when the foundation starts crumbling, there’s no fixing it. They don’t have the blueprints from 1937 so much of the stadium is a mystery to engineers who have inspected it. But if you’ve looked underneath the stadium, it’s obvious something needs to happen soon.

There have been some things done to make it look good to the average fan, like the facelift in 1997 when the stadium entrance was enhanced. Some fresh maroon paint on the walls shines it up every year and the labor of love that’s done every week on the playing surface makes it seem like a showplace.

“Paint doesn’t fix concrete,” said P.J. Stringer, a committee member who is a civil engineer. “There’s an urgency to getting this done. We’re not doing it because everybody else is doing it.”

Around the immediate area, four Ohio schools - Rock Hill, South Point, Coal Grove and Portsmouth - have fairly new stadiums with all-purpose turf. Belfry has a state-of-the-art stadium and Johnson Central put down new turf.

But it’s not about keeping up with the Joneses. It’s about being proactive before a do not enter sign is put on the front gate.

“The stadium is part of our educational program,” said Ashland superintendent Steve Gilmore. “Kindergartners through senior Tomcats use it. If we get the turf, the community usage would be enhanced.”

Gilmore said the school board would be willing to foot some of the bill, but the $7 million price tag is much too steep to take on alone. That’s why the committee is reaching out to the community, to individuals, to former players or anyone who would like to donate.

It won’t get done with bake sales and spaghetti dinners. The committee is looking for some donors – some major donors with deep pockets – to make a difference in what they still consider a jewel of Ashland.

“We don’t want to do a quick-fix on it,” Gilmore said. “We want it to be something that will be here for the next 40 years. This is a long-term project that can benefit the community for a long time to come.”

The committee doesn’t want to change Putnam Stadium’s aura. They’ve gone to great lengths to keep the look of the stadium the same in their planning. But the concrete bleachers and foundation would have to be replaced. They’re looking at aluminum bleachers that are solid, not open-floored, and have the same basic look as the current concrete. That would come at a cost of approximately $800,000, compared to $1.6 million to replace concrete for concrete.

The committee has talked about doing the project in phases as the money comes in. But the clock is ticking.

“We know we’re on borrowed time,” Gilmore said.

Major league baseball stadiums are razed frequently and most of them don’t have the age of Putnam Stadium. The Reds opened Riverfront Stadium in 1970 and imploded it in 2002.

Putnam Stadium is a 72-year-old structure that has served the community well.

How many more years should you really expect?

To donate

Anyone wishing to donate to the Putnam Stadium Restoration fund may do so by mailing Putnam Stadium Restoration Fund, P.O. Box 1901, Ashland, KY 41105.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.