West Geauga board approves contract with Techline Sports Lighting to retrofit stadium lights

The West Geauga Local School District Board of Education voted to authorize a contract with Techline Sports Lighting LLC to retrofit and repair damaged lighting at the district football stadium under Resolution 298. The board moved quickly after brief discussion about the cause of the damage, warranty life and whether the expense should be folded into future turf renovation budgets. Board officials said portions of the stadium lighting were damaged during a storm. “These are some individual lights…we believed damage from that tornado storm knocked out partial lights,” a board official said during discussion. The board member who introduced the resolution read the item as: “The first resolution is resolution 298, a resolution to approve quote and authorize the superintendent and treasurer to enter into a contract with Techline Sports Lighting LLC for the football stadium retrofit upgrade.” Board members and staff described troubleshooting steps taken before the contract and confirmed the district filed an insurance claim. “We did file a claim…you’ll let us know because we may get some reimbursement on this,” another board official said. Several speakers urged full replacement of fixtures rather than piecemeal repairs to avoid mismatched brightness and color. “My expertise is in the quality of the light, not in the electronics running the pieces…I think we should just replace them all because you don't know what's gonna happen next with the rest of the lights,” one board official said, adding that mixing old and new fixtures could create “strange patterns on the field” and a potential safety concern. Board members also discussed the warranty life of current lamps — approximately 10 years, according to a board member — and suggested the district consider including future lighting replacement in turf-renovation budgeting so costs align with turf lifecycle. The motion carried on a roll call; all recorded members voted yes. The board noted staff will follow up on any insurance reimbursement and on installation timing with the vendor.