ROCKINGHAM — With all the excitement of the newly announced Jumbotron coming to Raider Stadium, the price tag still looms large just two months before its projected completion date.
Richmond County Schools released the news April 9 that major upgrades will be made to Richmond Senior High School’s football facility starting in early June.
The headlining feature will be a new Jumbotron, set to replace the current scoreboard in the east end zone that was installed prior to the start of the 2017-2018 school year.
Cameron Whitley, Richmond County Schools’ executive director of communications, shared in an email with The Richmond Observer that the projected cost for the Jumbotron is $260K.
“The Jumbotron will be funded through a combination of capital outlay funds and sponsorship support,” Whitley’s email explained. “As part of this effort, the athletics department is preparing to launch a community-based 50/50 fundraiser later this spring.
“In our region, districts report an average of $50,000 per year in sponsorship revenue tied to stadium video boards, helping offset costs and support ongoing needs.”
With the construction of the Jumbotron, Richmond will become the fifth high school in the current Sandhills Athletic Conference to install a video board system. Hoke County, Pinecrest, Scotland and Union Pines high schools each have one.
Aside from providing in-game features and advertisements during football games, the Jumbotron will be used during events like graduation, homecoming, school movie nights and other school and community events.
In addition to the Jumbotron, other major upgrades will be made throughout the home of the seven-time state champion Raiders this offseason. Among them will be additional lighting around the concourse, as well as handrails being added to the stands.
Whitley noted in her email that the handrails will cost “approximately $28K,” while the new lighting will run the district “approximately $7K.” Both installations are aimed to improve safety and accessibility to fans at games and other events.
As a part of this project, Raider Stadium will also be getting a boost to renovate its bathrooms, increase its Wi-Fi connection and include the installation of enhanced security camera systems.
“The restroom, Wi-Fi and security camera updates are still in the planning phase, so cost estimates aren’t available yet,” Whitley’s email read.
All of the upgrades and spending were approved by the Richmond County Board of Education during its monthly meeting April 8.
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the Public School Building Capital Fund, which Whitley referred to as “capital outlay funds” in her email, “is one of two sources of recurring State funding for the capital facility needs (buildings and land) of the local Boards of Education (i.e. Local Education Administrations, or LEAs).”
While not specifically listed in its Procedures Manual for its Public School Building Capital Fund, NC DPI does state that, “... lighting for athletic fields, and security upgrades are examples of exterior improvements that are eligible for PSBCF funding.”
To help offset the cost of the entire project, Richmond’s athletics department announced on its Facebook page earlier this week that a 50/50 raffle will be held.
The initial goal, according to the school’s fundraiser site, is to raise $10K. At the time of publication, $300 had been raised.
“The Jumbotron project will help provide uniforms and equipment for ALL Richmond athletes moving forward,” the Facebook post read. “That’s a lasting impact for our students and our school.
“The more we raise, the bigger the prize – and the greater the benefit for our student-athletes. Let’s make this huge!”
The post also said that “one lucky winner will take home half the total pot!”
Raider Stadium’s upgrades this summer will come on the heels of the football program’s practice fields getting a facelift this spring. New stadium lights were recently installed at cost of $28K, which Whitley said were paid for by the “capital outlay budget.”
Ahead of last season, the reserved seating section on the home sideline was replaced with plastic stadium seats, replacing metal bleachers.
RCS expects the installation of the Jumbotron to begin after Richmond’s graduation, which is scheduled for June 6, and be completed by June 20.
