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Northfield schools plan video scoreboard, propose $400,000 general‑fund ask and ad‑revenue rules
Summary
LMR Media and district finance staff presented a plan to sell advertising, install a video scoreboard at Memorial Field and a draft procedure for allocating advertising revenue; the board will consider a $400,000 general‑fund authorization at its August meeting.
Northfield Public School District officials described progress on a district advertising program and asked the board to consider a future request to authorize $400,000 from the general fund to purchase a video scoreboard at Memorial Field.
The presentation, led by Lance Richter of LMR Media and Finance Director Val Merteserf, outlined advertising sales completed this year, recent facility upgrades paid for with sponsorships and a proposed competitive sealed‑bid process to sell stadium naming rights and video‑board space. Richter said a stadium naming‑rights starting bid would be $12,000 per year and that a payoff analysis projects the scoreboard and related improvements could be repaid within five years under conservative revenue assumptions.
Why it matters: the district has begun monetizing high‑visibility facility surfaces and streaming inventory to create a recurring revenue stream for activities and the general fund. District staff said the timing is intended to align with local businesses’ calendar‑year budgeting, giving potential advertisers time to plan commitments for next year.
Details of the proposal and budget timing LMR Media showed examples of recent projects (press box repair, new score tables, banners) and mockups for a video scoreboard. Merteserf said the board will see a formal request on the August agenda to authorize up to $400,000 from the general fund for the scoreboard project and that the plan is to reimburse that outlay from advertising revenue over time. She described a draft procedure (required under policy 809.1) that prioritizes paying equipment and installation costs first, then maintenance and repair, scholarships for participants with financial need, and activity‑program maintenance before any broader district spending.
Board members asked about display options, revenue assumptions and budgeting impacts. Trustee Amy (last name on file) suggested a scrolling welcome message area; Richter said he would explore whether a two‑facing or scrolling display could be added. Board members asked whether activity‑specific sales (for example, banners on the softball field) would be retained by that activity; Merteserf said revenues will be tracked in a separate account but treated as activity revenue within the general fund to avoid inequities between programs with differing facility access.
Financial projections and next steps Richter and Merteserf said revenue projections draw on vendor proposals and comparable sales in nearby districts; they described conservative scenarios that assume gradual sales growth rather than immediate sellouts. Merteserf said she and Richter expect to present a funding request to the board at its next meeting to authorize the $400,000 as a budgeting commitment for fiscal 2026–27. If approved, the district expects to run a sealed competitive process for naming rights and board advertising and to track revenues and expenses in an assigned fund balance so the district can show reimbursements to the general fund.
No final board vote on the video board or the $400,000 funding request occurred at the July 14 meeting; district staff said the item will be placed on the August agenda for formal consideration.
Ending: The board did not take final action on the scoreboard at the July meeting; staff will bring an approval item and the proposed revenue allocation procedure back for formal action in August.
