The Warren County R-III school board has approved the district proceeding with replacing the scoreboard at the high school football field.

The school board voted 6-1 last week to approve provider Daktronics to replace the scoreboard for $142,000. Board member Franci Schwartz was the lone board member to vote against the action.

The cost of a recent project to replace the turf for the football field came under budget, giving the district enough funds to cover the cost of the scoreboard. The football field cost $622,000, well under the projected $1 million budget, said R-III Superintendent Gregg Klinginsmith.

The high school scoreboard has not functioned properly since the district has owned it, Klinginsmith said. The scoreboard was refurbished and five to six years old when the district purchased the scoreboard, he said.

“We did have maintenance and the warranty under it for about five years,” Klinginsmith said. “And now that’s expired. And it’s impossible to find the power pieces behind it and we just can’t fix the board. And if you’ve been out there, the bottom half wasn’t working. Now the top half is starting to go out.”

The district bid out a scoreboard similar to the one the district currently has. It would fit on the same structure currently in place. The scoreboard will have a slightly smaller video screen than the current scoreboard. If the video does go out, the other two score displays will still work, Klinginsmith said.

“Right now, that’s not necessarily the case,” Klinginsmith said. “And so we’re struggling right now to even keep score at a soccer game let alone a football game that has all the other things to it.”

Klinginsmith added there is an ability to sell sponsorships for the board. The district has not sold sponsorships the last couple years because they could not guarantee the scoreboard would function properly.

Schwartz was in favor of the district purchasing a simpler scoreboard without as many electronics, citing the potential reduction in cost. She is not convinced the video component is necessary, she said.

“You talked about selling the sponsorships and I know that could recoup some of the cost,” Schwartz said. “But I don’t know if we have a plan for who would take care of that. I know that when we got the previous scoreboard, we had some sponsorships lined up ahead of time, I believe. And so that would make me feel a little bit differently towards it.”

Newly sworn in board member Rich Barton supported proceeding with the purchase of the scoreboard. He noted the cost of the football field and the need to have a scoreboard in place that matches that investment.

Board member Rodger Tucker noted the scoreboard will not just be used during football games. The school will utilize the board for track and field and other athletic events. They also have the capability to utilize the board during graduation. They could live stream the stage during graduation, he said.

The price is similar to what other school districts have paid for scoreboards, Tucker added.

“I know it’s a big price tag but as long as it’s utilized the way it’s designed to be utilized, it’s a good investment,” Tucker said.

Board member Ginger Schenck also noted the number of different sports and activities for which the video component can be utilized.

“A very basic scoreboard, you would probably use for football and soccer,” Schenck said. “But with the video part, you could use it for track and field. You could use it for senior night. You could use it for graduation. I feel like it’s a lot of money but it’s also hitting a lot of kids. Like band and cheerleading that’s there in the fall for senior night. That could be for those groups also.”

Board member Jeff Schneider cited the need for the scoreboard to be replaced. They could put up track and field results at events, he added.

The school board in separate action also approved a bid from Marschel Wrecking for floor slab replacement at Blackhawk Middle School. Marschel Wrecking’s bid was $135,110. The cost is under the expected cost of the improvements. This project will be a budgeted item out of the 2023-2024 capital projects budget.