Newport Central Catholic athletic director Jeff Schulkens wondered when the school’s athletic complex would ever be finished.
On Tuesday, Schulkens – and the entire NewCath community – had an answer. A ceremonial Mass dedicated the Ciafardini Family Athletic Complex.
Schulkens called the day “awesome,” and NewCath principal Kenny Collopy knew work on the $10 million project would eventually be done.
“Today was certainly a celebration,” Collopy said. “They had the community there and … really looking forward to our first athletic event – our kids on the field and the track.”
The complex will include a synthetic turf field, six-lane track, seating for around 1,500, and offices for Schulkens and the football and soccer coaches. What’s more, it means NewCath’s football team doesn’t have to play “home” games at Covington Catholic or Dixie Heights and the soccer teams are finished with traveling to Morscher Field on Mary Ingles Highway in Silver Grove.
The football field is named after the late Robert J. Schneider, who coached the Thoroughbreds from 1966-2009 and compiled a 343-183 record with three state championships and six runner-up finishes.
The complex is part of NewCath’s “Looking Up” fundraising campaign, which began in 2019. About $15 million has been raised so far; other plans included erasing some debt, opening a new science learning center, and installing a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
At times, the two-year travail to Tuesday was fraught with setbacks.
“I mean, we had some weather delays,” Schulkens said. “We had a lot of snow. We had some issues with unusable soil and different things like that.”
Schulkens said work on the press box and bathrooms hasn’t been completed, and the surface on the track has not been finished.
The Thoroughbred soccer teams will most likely get first dibs with a game in early to mid-August, then the football team’s first home game is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 16 against Lloyd Memorial.
“It’s for the kids,” Collopy said, “and that’ll really be the best celebration.”
New training facility at W-V
Walton-Verona’s new weight room opened a couple weeks ago. The $40,000 project is part of the fieldhouse at the athletic complex on Verona-Mudlick Road in Verona.
Athletic director Ryan Borkowski said the weight room is the first major addition since the complex opened in 2008.
“We’ve got about 35 yards of turf, and then the weight room’s on the back end of that,” Borkowski said.
Bridge BUILT, a Cincinnati company, installed the weight room.
“We’ve got the W-V logo on plates, we’ve got Bearcats, on plates,” Borkowski said. “We’ve got, etched into the steel, the Walton-Verona Bearcat head … So everything is branded, and customized just for our school.”
Borkowski said about 400 middle- and high-school athletes will use the facility. The new digs eliminate the eight-mile trek on northbound Interstate 75, southbound I-71 and Ky. 14 from the high school on School Road in Walton.
“It was from the 1980s,” Borkowski said of the old setup. “It just didn’t fit what our student athletes currently need.”
Borkowski said physical education classes will use the high school weight room.