Crystal Lake South High School getting new scoreboard with help of local sponsors

Scoreboard given positive recommendation from Planning and Zoning Commission with a vote of 4-3

With the help of local businesses, Crystal Lake South is looking to install a new scoreboard on its football field.

This scoreboard will come at no direct cost to the school district “thanks to the generous sponsorship from a number of local businesses.” said Troy Stinger, director of operations at High School District 155, of which, Crystal Lake South is a part.

It would go in the exact location of the existing scoreboard, which is a little more than 200 feet away from the western property line where residents live.

The old scoreboard is 22 feet tall.

Initially, the district was looking to have the new scoreboard be 30 feet high, though commissioners and Stinger came to an agreement to have it at 26 feet.

Either way, a variation would be needed, as 15 feet is the maximum height of an accessory structure in the R-2 Single-Family Residential zoning district, city documents show.

Based on renderings Stinger was provided, he told commissioners his assumption is that the scoreboard would be given to the school painted and ready to go.

Over time, though, Stinger said there could be some maintenance needed on it.

For the scoreboard to be donated, a certain revenue level was needed to be met by donors, Stinger said.

Stinger said because the scoreboard has space for advertising, it will also be a revenue source for the school district.

The first monies received from the ads on the scoreboard will go to the company providing it, Stinger said. But after that, the district will get half of any revenue generated from the ads. The money will be directed to District 155, not just the football program, Stinger said.

The advertisements on the existing scoreboard are all from local businesses, including McHenry County College, Northwestern Medicine, Nancy’s Pizza and Arctic Heating and Cooling.

Some commissioners had issues with the height of the scoreboard. A couple voiced concerns over the advertisements themselves, saying they wanted to make sure they align with the district’s values and be appropriate.

“Most certainly, the school district would have some say in that advertisement,” Stinger told them. “We’re really not going to put something up there on the scoreboard around our students that we didn’t deem appropriate.”

The subject property is the existing Crystal Lake South High School and associated parking areas and athletic fields, according to city documents.

Crystal Lake South was given a special use permit for the area in 2015 for what city documents said is the “continued operations of the high school,” a variation from the required number of parking spaces, and a variation to allow new bleachers.