AUSTINTOWN, Ohio - Students, educators, and community leaders gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Austintown Falcon Indoor Facility, a new space designed to give students a year-round, weather-independent place to learn, train, and grow.

The ribbon-cutting marked the completion of a project years in the making, one school leaders say will benefit far more than just athletic teams.

With a full-width turf field stretching more than 50 yards, multiple batting cages, and ample open space, the facility is built to serve a wide range of student programs, including athletics, marching band, physical education, and future community uses.

“This is about opportunity,” said Superintendent Tim Kelty. “Opportunity looks good here in Austintown.”

For student athletes, the new facility addresses a familiar challenge in northeast Ohio: unpredictable weather.

Senior softball player Kylie Folkwein said the space gives Fitch teams a clear advantage.

“Not a lot of schools can say they have a facility like this,” Folkwein said. “Anytime there's rain or bad weather, we can come in here and practice. We’ve got cages, we can scrimmage, it’s a great tool to help us keep succeeding in our softball program.”

She added that the investment also strengthens Fitch’s appeal to families considering the district.

“Fitch is a big athletic school,” Folkwein said. “This gives us so many opportunities for growth and really makes people want to come here.”

Junior baseball player Brady Stovall echoed that sentiment, pointing to the limitations teams previously faced.

“In the spring, you have those rainy days, and sometimes it’s just too bad to be outside,” Stovall said. “Before this, we practiced in the small gym with limited space. Now we have more cages, more room, and we can get way more done.”

Stovall said the additional space allows teams to practice skills like fly balls and outfield work that were difficult or impossible indoors before.

The facility’s impact extends well beyond sports.

Director of Bands and Orchestra Jeremy McClaine said the indoor space dramatically improves conditions for the Fitch marching band, which has traditionally practiced in parking lots or crowded gyms.

“Having lines and being able to go over basic marching especially with beginners and new freshmen, is a game changer,” McClaine said.

He noted the facility provides relief from extreme heat, poor air quality, and space limitations, challenges the band has increasingly faced in recent years.

“By August, the parking lot is sweltering,” he said. “This gives us a place to keep working instead of retreating to the band room and stopping altogether.”

McClaine also pointed to past situations, including smoke warnings from Canadian wildfires, that forced outdoor practices to be canceled.

“This would be huge if we ever get in that situation again,” he said.

District leaders emphasized the Falcon Indoor Facility is intended to serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade with plans to eventually expand use to intramurals and community sports programs.

Kelty said the project represents a deliberate investment in stability and infrastructure amid uncertainty around school funding.

“Through all the instability of property taxes and those things going on, the Austintown Local School District chose strength,” Kelty said. “This is stable infrastructure that will be here for our students for a very long time.”

He added that the facility reflects the district’s broader responsibility to provide safe, supportive environments where students can thrive.

“That’s our accountability and our moral compass,” Kelty said.