Trustees Sign Off on Scoreboard Funding
Remember a month ago, when we told you that the University Park City Council was considering a new scoreboard for Highlander Stadium? Well, the Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees had a brief meeting this morning regarding the scoreboard’s financing.
Daktronics is charging $591,600 for manufacturing the scoreboard, and the Highland Park Sports Club will pay for that. Daktronics needs a 30-percent down payment to order the scoreboard, so the trustees approved a gift of $180,000 from the club this morning. Gifts for the remainder will be approved as needed.
The installation, which will be done by Comet Signs, will cost $61,204. The school district will pay for that, using revenue from seat licensing at Highlander.
The scoreboard will basically be a giant TV, with shifting configurations depending on the sports being played. Administrators said it will come with an upgraded sound system, which will do a better job of confining its auditory output to the stadium, as opposed to the surrounding neighborhood.
Joe Taylor, the trustees’ finance officer, lauded the Sports Club as one of the district’s “premiere partners,” and Superintendent Dawson Orr said the club will soon be increasing its annual gift for unspecified projects from $130,000 to $150,000. The scoreboard will incorporate ads from multiple sponsors, with those funds going back to the Sports Club.
“While it’s going to enhance the game experience,” Taylor said of the scoreboard, “more importantly, it’s going to enhance their ability to serve as a fundraiser for the district.”
