Riverside Brookfield HS Considers Selling Naming Rights For New Stadium
RIVERSIDE, Ill. (CBS) -- Taxpayers are well aware that school improvements cost money, big money. Now, leaders in one west suburban school district are turning to a novel way to finance new sports facilities: naming rights.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports no one's ever claimed the streets around Riverside-Brookfield High School are paved with gold, but school officials are hoping to change that.
"My administrative assistant and I sent out about 100 letters to different companies to offer theidea," said Dr. Kevin Skinkis, District 108 superintendent.
The idea: naming rights for a new football stadium and track that's already under construction.
"We have about 8 million dollars but we have about 12 million dollars of work and the school board and I were trying to figure out creative ways to close that four million dollar gap.
The stadium sits adjacent to the Brookfield Zoo, which gets two million visitors enter each year.
"That's a lot of eyeballs and that's why we thought this would maybe be a good opportunity for someone looking to get some good advertisement," Skinkis said.
The old, iconic 60-year-old stadium was demolished last week. That's where football coach Brendan Curtin and his three brothers all played.
"I think it sends the message to our student athletes that we believe in them enough to invest in their futures," Curtin said.
For administrators, it's a chance to modernize using fewer tax dollars.
"If this is a way to lighten the burden, it makes sense to at least investigate," said track coach Tim Olson.
The $12 million price tag is for improvements at the school and for replacing the stadium.
Riverside-Brookfield has already placed an ad in the Chicago Tribune seeking corporate and individual donors.
Possible targets include pet-supply companies, and fishing and outdoor companies, trying to capitalize on all those animal lovers that visit the zoo.