New Jim Thorpe committee focuses on district fields

After stripping a newcomer of his title of president and tabling last week’s nominations for committee heads, Jim Thorpe School Board officials passed at least one new provision presented by a freshman member last week: the creation of an athletics, fields and concessions committee.

It vacates the former athletics committee and will be led by T.J. Garritano, who was elected to the board in November.

Garritano’s unanimous appointment Thursday night showcased what seemed to be a rare spirit of agreement on the board, as it followed Paul Montemuro’s ousting as president and Gerald Strubinger, an incumbent, being elected in his place. The prospect of replacing Montemuro sparked ire from two sides of the divided authority: those who had served on Jim Thorpe’s school board for years and those who were granted their first term by voters last month.

“This, my friends, is a political sham,” Scott Pompa, vice president, boomed at the move to remove Montemuro.

Garritano was also the only member who was recommended Dec. 4 to lead a committee to actually be appointed by an official vote last Wednesday.

The newly formed grouping will focus on district fields at L.B. Morris Elementary, Penn-Kidder and Jim Thorpe Area High School.

At the outset of his new role, Garritano inquired to the board’s solicitor about looking into obtaining corporate sponsorships for the fields, which he said were “awful” and “the worst in the area.”

Even with Jim Thorpe’s near $47 million annual budget, Garritano continued, its teams can’t afford uniforms without fundraising, and its football field can host only five games each year.

Garritano also said there are broken exhaust fans in locker rooms and one baseball fence is barely holding together, although the district’s building and grounds director, Ted LaRizzio, responded that he hadn’t heard of those issues.

“You walk through that school, and the school’s falling apart,” Garritano said. “I mean, it’s crazy.

“For $47 million, we should have the best facilities in the area, and we have the worst.”

At an August school board meeting, Superintendent John Rushefski, who has been in the position since July, pointed out that a stream runs under Jim Thorpe’s football field, and the field itself sits very low.

Built in 2001, the grass field had more drainage pipes installed in 2011, but it still floods.

Board members have considered replacing the field’s green grass with artificial turf, but with a price tag of at least $1 million, they concluded that it’s too hefty a project to take on right now.

“The funds just aren’t there,” board member Pearl Downs-Sheckler said in August. “It would be wonderful if we could … but we’re in a deficit.”