SIOUX CITY — The Sioux City Community Schools has signed an eight-year agreement with Morningside University to house its baseball team.
The school board on Monday approved the least for East High School’s field in a 5-2 vote, with board members Dan Greenwell, Jan George, Bob Michaelson, John Meyers and Lance Ehmcke for, Treyla Lee and Earl Miller opposed. Numerous community members attended the hearing, but few spoke at the meeting.
The university had been struggling to find a home for its baseball program for the past year. In return for allowing the university to use East High’s field, the university will replace the grass field with turf.
The university received a quote for $495,000 to install turf on infields and bullpens from Mid America Sports Construction. The school also proposed paying the first $5,000 in repairs. After that, it would be a 50/50 split between East High and Morningside.
Citizen Terry Kilberg spoke against the lease agreement, stating it is not a fiscally responsible decision and is unfair to the students at North and West. David Hall, another citizen, also spoke, expressing concerns regarding construction on the site and potential surprises that could arise. Lee also expressed concerns regarding equity for the other two schools’ baseball teams.
Michaelson said he has spoken with the athletic directors at all three high schools and says this issue shines a light on the high school facilities and gives the district a head start on improving the facilities.
“We shouldn’t be pitting ourselves against each other, in my view, we should be helping each other, all of us moving forward,” Michaelson said.
George said he has discussed with district leadership what it would take to budget turf fields for North and West High.
“Mr. Michaelson is right, we have to start somewhere,” George said.
When it comes to scheduling, the district would have first priority of Saturdays, Thursdays and Friday evenings. The district will resolve scheduling conflicts in their favor and the university has second priority. Morningside lost access to its longtime home field at Lewis & Clark Park after the college failed to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Sioux City Explorers.
Forced to scramble before the start of the spring season, the Mustangs played all of their 2025 “home” games at various sites in three states, including Briar Cliff’s Bishop Mueller complex and fields in Orange City, Iowa, Yankton, S.D., and Elkhorn, Nebraska.
In May, Morningside submitted a conditional use permit proposal to Woodbury County to erect a stadium on college-owned farmland at 1885 Buchanan Road. The request was approved by the county Zoning Commission but rejected by the Board of Adjustments in July, which cited the lack of a finalized traffic study for the rural area. The board also heard objections from several area residents concerned about excessive noise, dust control, snow removal and other issues.
The Board of Adjustment encouraged college officials to reapply once they fixed the traffic concerns.
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Caitlin Yamada
Education and county government reporter
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