Board approves new video scoreboard for John Hersey High School with use limits and conditions

The Village Board on June 15 directed staff to prepare final documents granting a sign‑variation request to install a new video scoreboard at John Hersey High School, after the design commission recommended approval with a set of conditions intended to limit nighttime impacts and commercial use.

Representatives for the school said the larger scoreboard will be used primarily for varsity athletics and student programming tied to curriculum and extracurricular media activities. A district representative said the district expects the video portion to be used for varsity football, soccer, lacrosse and track events, with the video display turned off at the end of each event and no later than 10:00 p.m.

Diana Rodman, presenting staff recommendations, told the board the proposed video scoreboard is about 528 square feet and taller than the existing board; the design commission conditioned approval on: limiting video use to varsity events, turning the video off immediately after events (no later than 10:00 p.m.), complying with auto‑dimming standards, excluding sound from the scoreboard and enclosing the back of the structure for aesthetic purposes.

Trustees supported the request with those conditions. Trustee Labedz questioned the educational component and asked how students would be involved; school representatives said clubs and media programs would help prepare content and that the board could provide additional details later.

The board voted to direct staff and the village attorney to prepare the final documents granting the requested sign relief. The petitioner said installation would likely begin in the fall and the scoreboard could be used in spring athletic seasons once installed.

Vote: board roll call in favor (unanimous support reported).