SIDNEY — At halftime of Saturday’s Sidney boys basketball game against Bellefontaine, Chesrown of Sidney presented Athletic Director JD Foust with a $250,000 check for the Yellow Jackets’ new sports complex.

The site will also bear the Chesrown name after completion.

“It’s exciting and it means a lot,” Foust said. “When you’re new to a community, you really don’t know what to look forward to and how the community really supports the school systems. When you have individuals and you have companies within the community that step up and donate, they understand the importance of public schooling and they understand the importance of having great facilities and resources for our kids.”

Chesrown’s donation comes roughly three months after local philanthropist Dave Ross donated $1 million to the project.

The new sports complex will feature a new turf field for the soccer stadium, a new track and turf for the baseball and softball fields, helping not only Sidney, but the community as well.

“The track is used in the community, so it’s not just for our students,” Foust said. “Copeland and Advanced-Composites, those employees on lunch breaks are over here on a nice day walking around that track. So, we just want people to know that this isn’t just for athletics. This is for the community.”

It also provides an opportunity for businesses around Sidney to generate more revenue if there were to be tournaments, playoff games and select baseball games.

“Even in the summer, we’re going to do rentals with some select baseball and softball teams as well. So that’s going to draw teams to this area, and that’s going to bring money to the restaurants and money to the hotels,” Foust continued. “I think this is great for Sidney, not just the schools, but the overall community. Any time we can get these other schools and communities and cities that come to Sidney and spend their money at our restaurants, hotels or even here on our campus and just showcase our facilities, I think it puts Sidney in a positive light.”

Foust commended Chesrown on their quick work to get involved within the community, with the ownership group purchasing three dealerships from the Germain Motor Group in June 2025.

“For a company like Chesrown, being new to the community, and coming in right away and wanting to have a partnership,” he said, “That’s what I try to tell people when they donate. That it’s not just, ‘Here, give us your money,’ and we’re going to run with it. It’s truly a partnership of working together and what’s best for the community.”

While his team won’t be part of the programs to enjoy the new complex, Jamal Foster, the varsity girls basketball coach, said that it’s still great to see people investing into not only the school, but the athletes.

“We’re all under the same umbrella as Sidney Athletics. So, whether it’s a winter or fall sport and it’s more toward the spring, we share the same athletes,” he said. “So, we see people that are putting money, investment into the kids and into the community, we all benefit from that. At the end of the day, we’re all the same community. It just makes you feel good as a coach.”

Foust said that even with the donation from Chesrown, the project is still about 95% funded, but having names like Chesrown and Ross funding the project helps when it comes to looking for others to come help finish it off.

“Any time you approach another business and you have someone like Dave Ross that contributes to it and you say, ‘Look, we got an individual like Dave Ross that stands behind this project. This is going to happen. No ifs,’” he said. “So when you’re approaching companies and you’re saying, ‘Hey, we’re doing this, we want to privately fund it, we don’t want it to be a burden on the schools, on the taxpayers.’”

Foust urged that they’re still looking for donations to finish off that last 5%, and that those interested in donating should contact the Sidney athletic office or the board office.

Reach sports editor Rhys Patrykus at rpatrykus@aimmediamidwest.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @RhysPatrykus