Seattle boasts Key Arena, Safeco Field and Qwest Field, and now Oak Harbor will have its own sponsored sporting attraction: The Whidbey Island Bank scoreboard.
Whidbey Island Bank shelled out $30,000 for a scoreboard at the new Wildcat Memorial Stadium, which is being built next to Oak Harbor High School.
Scoreboard plans show an electronic reader board and the Whidbey Island Bank logo prominently planted on the bottom.
The school district and Whidbey Island Bank recently came to a 10-year agreement for advertising rights on the scoreboard in exchange for the donation.
The deal effectively saves the school district from spending money on the 16-foot tall, 25-foot wide digital scoreboard.
“It’s a very generous offer,” Superintendent Rick Schulte said. “It not only saves money for other needs, it provides a better scoreboard than we otherwise could have afforded.”
He said the school district approached Whidbey Island Bank because the locally-owned business has a long history of community involvement.
“It’s good for the community. It’s good for the bank. It’s the kind of partnership we want to be involved in,” Whidbey Island Bank President and CEO Mike Cann said.
There aren’t any rules specifically outlining how a business can contribute to public school stadiums, said Mike Colbrese, executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association, explaining that it’s up to individual school boards to make that decision.
He noted the Sumner School District sold the name of its entire stadium to Sunset Chevrolet.
Schulte said it was common years ago for soft drink manufacturers to buy scoreboards.
“Historically, Coke and Pepsi bought a lot of scoreboards,” Schulte said. However, that changed because school districts didn’t want that type of association with soft drinks, and those businesses didn’t want to go through the expense of purchasing expensive modern scoreboards.
The scoreboard isn’t the only part of the stadium that needs some community support.
Plans call for placing a veterans memorial at the entrance of Wildcat Memorial Stadium. The memorial, which includes a bell tower, wrought iron fence and arched entryway, will cost an estimated $100,000.
The school district has already received pledges from community groups. The Rotary pledged $10,000, the Booster Club $10,000, and the high school ASB $15,000.
The school district received a $3,000 grant from the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs, said Joe Hunt, communications director for the school district.
He said the district is hoping to get $50,000 from the state Legislature to pay for the remainder.
Jim Slowik, member of the committee raising money for the memorial, said he is confident the full amount can be raised one way or another.
Meanwhile, ground work on the new stadium continues as dirt is hauled away from the construction site. The new stadium should be built in time for the fall 2007 football season.
