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Board conditionally approves Easton High scoreboard contract amid $88,500 funding gap
Summary
Trustees authorized use of a Sourcewell cooperative contract to order a new Easton High stadium scoreboard (topline cost $288,500) but tied approval to securing $88,500 in outside funding; motion carried with the caveat the district will not obligate funds absent confirmed external support.
The Talbot County Board of Education on April 15 authorized staff to proceed with a cooperative purchasing contract to buy and install a new stadium scoreboard for Easton High School, but the board attached a funding contingency and asked staff to secure outside sources to cover an $88,500 shortfall before committing district funds.
Procurement and operations staff described the project as a Daktronics scoreboard procured through a Sourcewell cooperative agreement. The topline number presented to the board was $288,500 (roughly $200,000 for equipment and about $88,500 for installation under the Sourcewell pricing). The district reported $150,000 in state capital funding and roughly $50,000 in immediate local donations, with another $50,000 pledged over subsequent years; those amounts leave an outstanding balance of $88,500.
“I'm asking the board to approve this contingent on the available funding,” the operations presenter said, adding that if the contract is not signed by the vendor’s requested date the installation would be postponed for a year and privileged pricing or donor commitments could be lost.
Board members pressed staff on permitting, neighborhood impact, advertising limits (town guidance caps advertising on the face at 25% before requiring a variance), and sound concerns; staff said the new scoreboard would be sited behind the current scoreboard and largely face Route 50 (reducing sound and light impacts toward nearby residences) and that town permits will be required.
The board’s motion approved use of the cooperative purchasing vehicle and authorized staff to place the order pending confirmation of sufficient outside funding (the motion was amended on the floor to make the approval explicitly contingent on funding from outside the district budget).
