The following content contains emails, and a statement, about the recent decision by the Erie School Board to dissolve the Stadium Commission. It is true that the Erie community raised most of the funds for construction of the stadium, and it is also true that the Erie School District has contributed to the maintenance and improvement to the stadium. Still, the promise made to the Erie community in the 1920s should be honored.
Friday, March 6, 2026 – Silverthorn to a School Board Member:
I was recently informed that the Athletic Facilities Commission has been dissolved, and I am writing to urge the School Board to restore the original Stadium Commission.
The Commission, of which I was a part (as you know), concerned me from the beginning. I believe I shared my concerns with you, as I did with Darlene Feeney and the commission at one of the first meetings I attended.
In 2021, the School Board voted to reconstitute the Stadium Commission into this new commission without accurate information. They were informed that the Stadium Commission had been formed in 1923 as a fundraising body and that is not the case. It was formed to give oversight of the stadium to both the community and the School District. The Stadium Commission was charged with administration, not fundraising.
The Athletics Facilities Commission was created for the purpose of finding ways to fund athletic projects, with oversight of the stadium completely surrendered to the School District. After making my concerns known about this, I agreed to be part of the Commission thinking that even with this drastic shift, it would assure that Veterans Stadium would be cared for properly in the present and future. As you know, I have an interest in the stadium’s welfare through my research of William E. Dimorier, the person who is largely responsible for its existence.
Almost all of the funds to build the stadium came from the citizens of Erie after assurances that the stadiumwas for the people and that the people would have a say in its future. As the School Board considers the future of its athletic facilities, it should restore the Stadium Commission and honor the promises that were made to the Erie community more than 100 years ago.
I’ve attached a document making the case for the restoration of the Stadium Commission. Would you kindly share it with your fellow Board members? I am, of course, available to discuss the matter.
Following is the document attached to the email:
This document presents the historical and ethical case for restoring the Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium Commission. It demonstrates that the dissolution of the commission in February 2026 conflicts with the original 1923 resolution, the intent of community donors, and the longstanding civic purpose of the stadium.
On October 13, 2021, the Board of Directors (“Board”) of the School District of the City of Erie reconstituted the Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium Commission, created on April 5, 1923, as the Erie’s Public Schools Athletic Facilities Commission based on incorrect information about the history of the commission.
Most recently, on February 11, 2026, the Board voted to disband the Athletic Facilities Commission and to put the affairs of the stadium under the stewardship of the Board. This puts total control over the stadium, largely financed by the citizens of Erie, into the school district’s hands only. Board President Jay Breneman stated that other organizational structures for the stadium may be considered in the future.
The resolution of October 13, 2021, contains critical inaccuracies on the origin of the Stadium Commission. The resolution statement that on December 2, 1920, a committee of Academy High School students requested permission and support from the Board to raise funds to construct a stadium is correct. The statement that a Citizens’ Committee was created in 1922 to raise funds for the stadium is also correct.
The statement regarding the April 5, 1923, school board meeting is incorrect. It states that on that date the board created a “Citizen’s [sic] Stadium Committee.” In fact, this committee was already in existence and consisted of 60 community leaders. At this meeting the Board passed a resolution giving the committee approval for the construction of a stadium on Academy High property.
At the April 5, 1923 meeting, the Board also passed a resolution authorizing the formation of a seven-member commission “to be composed of one member of the Board of School Directors, two members of the Athletic Advisory Committee in charge of School athletics, two members to be appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, and two members to be appointed by the Board of School Directors, the Busines [sic] Manager of said School District to be secretary of said commission; and said commission shall operate said stadium for all civic, athletic, educational, charitable, fraternal and other purposes under such rules and regulation as may be mutually agreed upon said commission and the Board of School Directors.” This newly formed commission was charged with operating the stadium, not fundraising. Fundraising was the function of the Citizens’ Stadium Committee.
Therefore, the statement in the October 13, 2021, resolution that, “the creation of the Stadium Commission started with the original mission of fundraising for, building and improving upon the District’s athletic facilities” is incorrect, and the Board passed the resolution based on incorrect information.
The creation of this seven-member Stadium Commission ensured that the stadium would be properly maintained, and its future assured, by a fair representation from both the school district and the community.
It must be noted that Veterans Memorial Stadium cost $150,000 to build, and all but $15,000 was raised by the citizens of Erie. Countless fundraising events took place to raise funds for “the people’s stadium.” The funds were raised with the promise that the stadium would be used for more than just high-school sports. To summarize and expand:
- The stadium was to be owned and maintained by the school district, but it was to be managed and operated by the stadium commission. The April 5, 1923, resolution further stipulated that the commission would consist of seven members: one from the school board, two from the Athletic Advisory Committee, two appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, two appointed by the school board, and the school district’s business manager would act as secretary.
- The stadium commission would operate the stadium for all civic, athletic, educational, charitable, fraternal and other purposes in their broadest terms. Late in 1919, while the stadium was being considered, Acting School Board President John McDonald stated that the stadium would have much more benefit than just for the school district. Business Manager R.S. Scobell also stated that school use alone would not warrant the cost of stadium construction.
- The stadium was erected as a tribute to those who served in the World War. After an impassioned plea from the Service Star Legion, the school board stipulated in its April 1923 resolution that the stadium would be dedicated to those who served in the World War.
The April 5, 1923, resolution established a shared governance model for the stadium. Dissolving the commission without replacing it with a comparable community-representative structure conflicts with that agreement.
The stadium was intended for community use, not just athletics. The school district was facing overcrowding and needed to build schools, not athletic facilities. The Board would not have approved the project if it hadn’t been promised that the community would raise the funds needed. And community members bought into the building of a stadium because they were promised that the stadium would be used for many other activities besides sports and that they would have a say in the stadium decision making.
In nonprofit and public-sector governance, stewardship requires honoring donor intent beyond the original fundraising period. The community’s contribution—nearly all the construction cost—was made with explicit assurances of broad civic use and shared oversight.
Restoring the Stadium Commission, or establishing a substantially equivalent body with community representation, aligns with the original 1923 resolution, honors donor intent, and fulfills the ethical obligation of stewardship owed to the citizens of Erie.
Response From the School Board President:
The Board has received a copy of your email and is also receiving a copy of my response here. As a matter of Board rule and Sunshine Law compliance, we do not deliberate Board business by email, so there won’t be further board discussion via this format. Our Board rules also assign the Board President a coordinating role on Board-level process matters, so I am responding in that capacity.
At some point by the start of the 2026-2027 school year, I expect to establish an ad hoc committee of Board, staff, and community stakeholders to develop a recommendation to the full Board on what the future may look like for our facilities. Our policies task the Board President with the responsibility of determining the scope and structure of ad hoc committees. I will be sure you get the information once available.
I’m familiar with much of the history you presented, though it is helpful to see the names, timeline, and background compiled so well together in one place. I also appreciate the care you brought to distinguishing between the original fundraising effort and the later role of the Stadium Commission.
A great deal has changed in the last 103 years, including public school governance, the district’s legal and operational responsibilities, the condition and use of our facilities, and the expectations now placed on the school district as steward of public assets. Since the stadium’s creation, the district has also made substantial investments in its maintenance, operations, and improvement. The Board now has responsibility under state law and Board policy for district property, facilities planning, and the governance structure through which those responsibilities are carried out. For those reasons, the question before us is what kind of structure now best reflects both that history and the district’s present-day responsibilities to our students and community.
As you point out, though, that history still matters because Veterans Stadium was not built in a vacuum, and the community interest in its stewardship is meaningful. I do not want to overstate anything before there has been fuller review and discussion, but I do think your materials raise a worthwhile question about whether the historical background was complete and accurate. As a Board, we have committed to improving how we gather and review the full historical context of past and present decisions… this can be seen in our partnership with the Hagen Center in maintaining our historic record, our creation of a District Historian, and the thoroughness of the ad hoc Harding Name Review Committee under a new policy that requires extensive deliberation and documentation before arriving at a recommendation. We have a way to go before it’s second nature, but I believe we are getting there.
I also appreciate that you centered this on a larger conversation about stewardship, history, and public trust. That is a significant contribution and a shared perspective, and it is especially helpful because you grounded it in research and long-term engagement.
Thank you again for taking the time to put this together and share it. I expect your materials will be part of the broader discussion as we consider next steps later this year, and I would welcome your continued engagement as that work moves forward.
I haven’t heard anything else about the stadium commission since the above correspondence. As mentioned above, “Restoring the Stadium Commission, or establishing a substantially equivalent body with community representation, aligns with the original 1923 resolution, honors donor intent, and fulfills the ethical obligation of stewardship owed to the citizens of Erie.”
MJK
Hoping for the best—