At 10 a.m. on Monday, April 27, representatives from the Rams, Anheuser-Busch and PHL, Inc. will join Ward 4 Alderman Samuel Moore and members of the community in Tandy Park near the entrance to Sumner High School (4248 Cottage Ave.) for an official groundbreaking for PHL, Inc.’s new outdoor athletic complex for use by Sumner’s student-athletes and the entire Ville community.
The facility is scheduled to open next fall, thanks to the generosity of the St. Louis Rams and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation.
The facility will include a state-of-the-art Sprinturf field, lights, bleachers, restrooms and pavilion to be constructed in Tandy Park. The new complex will accommodate the school’s athletic teams, youth sports and community events such as health walks.
In addition, the new athletic facility and an adjacent street will be named in honor of the famous Tuskegee Airmen (seven of whom graduated from Sumner High School). Officials are hopeful the field will be completed in time for football practices beginning in August. The program also will include the renaming of Cottage Drive after Dr. George Dennis Brantley, who was Sumner High School’s principal for 40 years and the dedication of the soon-to-be-refurbished Tandy Park tennis courts in honor of another Sumner graduate, the legendary Arthur Ashe.
“The work being done by PHL, Inc. is truly an inspiring story and we are excited to join them in this effort to create a home field for the student-athletes of Sumner High and the residents of this historic community,” said Dave Peacock, president of Anheuser-Busch Cos. “What’s really impressive about the PHL Inc.’s efforts is the impact these projects have not only for the schools and their athletic programs, but how they are embraced and enhance their surrounding neighborhoods.”
PHL, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization formed in February 2005 by four businessmen from St. Louis and St. Charles counties that was created to provide support for public school football initiatives.
Anheuser-Busch has contributed $100,000 to the initiative, with the Rams, in conjunction with the NFL, contributing an additional $200,000 toward the Tandy Park/Sumner project.
“One of our organizational priorities at the Rams is to leverage the power of sports for the betterment of our community,” said Lucia Rodriguez, owner/partner and chair of community outreach for the St. Louis Rams. “Our partnership with PHL, Inc. provides us a tremendous opportunity to do just that. By addressing the urgent need to improve these athletic fields, we are demonstrating to the students of the St. Louis Public Schools that people care about them. And ultimately, it is our hope that these enhanced athletic opportunities will lead to better attendance and more engaged students in the classroom.”
Each PHL, Inc. project includes an on-going maintenance program – initially managed and operated by PHL, Inc. for as long as five years – but eventually turned over to the controlling school district when the district is able to undertake the responsibility. PHL, Inc. envisions the creation of long-term endowments – managed by PHL, Inc. – to aid districts with on-going maintenance, repair and replacement needs.
“We are excited to have the Rams, Anheuser-Busch and the NFL as partners on our latest project here in Tandy Park,” said Thom Kuhn of PHL, Inc. “This is our eighth project pushing our total improvements to date to more than $2 million at absolutely no costs to the St. Louis Public School District. Projects such as this don’t happen without the support of community leaders, the school district and the many companies and organizations that come forward to help either financially or by donating their services.”