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Chicago Daily Herald
Barrington Area Unit District 220 has $500,000 in fresh sponsorship deals to fund enhancements at the outdoor high school stadium, including the addition of a new video board more than three times larger than the existing display.
School board members have approved 10-year deals with Motor Werks Auto Group, Long and Co. Jewelers, Lake-Cook Orthopedics and Wickstrom Auto Group for Barrington High School's stadium, beginning in the 2018-19 academic year.
Earlier sponsorship deals for Barrington Community Stadium expired after the 2017-18 school year. Additional 10-year sponsorship deals are expected "in the near future," District 220 Superintendent Brian Harris said.
School board President Brian Battle said at least $650,000 in private funds are expected to fund the scoreboard and potentially other extras, such as a pavilion, not included for expenditures of tax money.
"The community support on this stuff is outstanding," Battle said during a recent school board session.
The projected $571,000 in stadium upgrades approved by the school board last week will include a new main score and video board that will replace one on the stadium's south end. It is expected to be ready for the upcoming football season.
The 10-year-old stadium also will get an auxiliary board on the north end and two sideline clocks.
Daktronics will build a 373-square-foot, high-definition screen for game video and information, and a basic score and time display at the top, along with four side panels for advertising. The video display section will be more than triple the size of the current 109-square-foot screen.
Battle noted the new main board will allow for interaction with a donated state-of-the-art production van that BHS-TV began using at football games in 2017. Talent from the student broadcasting program will be able to conduct live interviews that fans can watch on the video board.
Barrington High School Principal Stephen McWilliams expressed concern about the current main and auxiliary boards in a memo. Officials have said the boards no longer have available parts or service because they were built by White Way Sign and Maintenance Co. of Mount Prospect, which went bankrupt in 2014.
"Frankly, there is a high level of concern that our stadium scoreboards will not make it through another school year," McWilliams wrote.
At $200,000 apiece, Wickstrom and Motor Werks signed on for largest of Barrington Community Stadium sponsorships, with Lake-Cook Orthopedics and Long both committing to $50,000 scoreboard signs facing the field.
The four Barrington businesses will pay a combined $500,000.
Motor Werks will be the stadium's new playing surface sponsor. The auto dealership's name and logos will replace Celebrate Life Field above the home grandstand because Cancer Treatment Centers of America declined to enter a new sponsorship contract. Wickstrom's name will remain on the main scoreboard facing fans as they enter the stadium.
District 220 secured the sponsors in conjunction with the private, nonprofit Barrington High School Horseshoe Club. The group's stated mission is to encourage community participation and raise funds to enhance and expand the athletic facilities and programs for Barrington High students.
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