Stadium upgrades to begin next week

As the Chillicothe City Schools prepare for the start of improvements to the Obadiah Harris Athletic Complex, the district continues to mull whether it wants — or would be able — to add a video display board at Hatton Memorial Gym.

According to Superintendent Jon Saxton, construction is scheduled to begin next week on pavilions that are part of the new project. The work includes construction of additional restrooms, concession area, ticket booth and parking at the venue that hosts football, soccer, track and lacrosse.

On Monday, the school board approved a recommendation from SHP Leading Design that local contractor D.E. Huddleston, Inc., be awarded the contract for the stadium improvements project. The total bid came in at $1.203 million, which includes the base bid along with additional funds for additional parking and concrete paving.

The intent is to have most or all of the stadium improvements completed at or around Aug. 1 in plenty of time to host some soccer games prior to the first football game in late August.

While the stadium improvements move forward, the district now has options from two different companies to consider if it wants to make a decision to move ahead with a video display board for the gym.

One option that has been on the table since the fall — and carries to least financial risk — is a lease option from Sportable Scoreboards, Inc. The option would require a $5,000 down payment that would be refundable after expiration of a four-year lease agreement and would require a $10,000 annual sponsorship to pay for it.

Under terms of a lease agreement, Sportable would pursue sponsors with help from the school district, would install the board and train high school personnel, would include a five-year warranty and service on the board and would provide any revenue beyond the necessary sponsorship funds to the school district. If the first $10,000 minimum sponsorship could not be raised within 30 days of the agreement, both parties could walk away from it and the deposit would be refunded.

A purchase option from Sportable brings the cost of the board in at $45,000 due to a discount, with a five-year payment plan available. While the company would still install the board and train the personnel, it would become the sole responsibility of the district to find sponsors to pay for it.

The newest option comes from Nevco, Inc., but any lease option has to be worked out through a third party financier and the cost through a purchase option is significantly higher and would require installation charges.

Saxton told the Board of Education Monday night that the biggest hang up is figuring out who would be responsible for the $5,000 down payment — booster clubs or the district itself.

“The challenge we have here is we’ve talked about a lot of things tonight that cost a lot of money and we need to be sure we can afford that and we’ve got to figure out our priorities,” Saxton said. “Fifty thousand (dollars) here or $20,000 there, it all adds up.”

Saxton suggested going back to Sportable about considering the option of conducting a community meeting to explore sponsorship interest without the initial $5,000 down payment. Several board members expressed interest in exploring all options available, and a summary of the options notes there is an education component for students in terms of getting video production experience for the board.

Saxton also provided a brief update on two new elementary campuses, saying that the large amount of needed pre-planning is continuing. In response to those who have been asking when ground will be broken on the grade-banded buildings, he said no actual construction work is expected this calendar year.