Delays Mean Old York Scoreboard May Return
ELMHURST, IL – The old scoreboard at York High School’s football field was taken down earlier this year to make way for a new state-of-the-art one.
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As it turns out, the old scoreboard may return.
At Tuesday’s Elmhurst School District 205 board meeting, an official said the city had delayed its approval of the new board, which will include video.
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Over the summer, the city’s Zoning and Planning Commission has sought more information from the district. It wanted to know more about lighting, use of the scoreboard, advertising and the parameters of naming rights, according to the commission’s meeting minutes.
In mid-June, the district gave a “thorough” presentation to the commission, said Chris Whelton, assistant superintendent of finance.
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Now, the district is hoping for a decision from the commission at its Aug. 20 meeting, he said. From there, it would go to a City Council committee and then the full council.
Whelton told the school board it was possible that the scoreboard wouldn’t be installed in time for the football season.
“Because of this, staff has taken steps to reinstall our old scoreboard to ensure we were able to start the season with a working scoreboard,” he said.
The district’s contractor, Whelton said, was on standby, so the scoreboard could be quickly installed should the district receive the city’s approval.
Board member Jim Collins asked for Whelton’s “back-of-the-envelope” guess for the cost of reinstalling the old scoreboard.
Whelton said he had asked that question earlier in the day.
“We don’t have an estimate on that quite yet,” he said.
In March, the board approved buying a $259,000 15-by-25-foot video board.
At the March meeting, Collins said the cost was high, but noted that other high schools have boards “of this caliber.”
He also said the scoreboard will allow the district to sell advertising. Other schools have generated enough advertising income to pay for their boards, he said.
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