CEDAR FALLS – Construction begins Monday, May 12, in the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center as new video boards are installed in both facilities.
Animated Display Systems Inc. (Fort Myers, Fla.) was awarded the bid for the construction and installation of both video boards. The cost of the project is estimated to be $1.3 million with the funding coming from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association, Learfield Sports and UNI Athletics.
“The new video boards in the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center are a significant step forward as we continue to enhance the spectator experience in our venues,” UNI Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. “The boards will also create opportunities to generate additional revenue as we continue to reduce our reliance on general education funds. We are excited to show off the new attributes of the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center this fall.”
The new UNI-Dome video board will be hung above the south endzone and will be 26’6” high by 100’ wide. Pixel density for the UNI-Dome board is 645 pixels per square feet and the total pixel count is 1,677,312.
The board will provide video and serve as a scoreboard for UNI football games. The current scoreboards were installed in the UNI-Dome in 1986. The initial video board in the Dome was installed in 2002 with an upgraded model installed in 2008.
The existing video board in the UNI-Dome will be moved to the north endzone and repurposed as a video/scoreboard.
The new equipment will provide for improved online video streaming content as well as enhance the opportunity for non-athletic events and other marketing initiatives in the UNI-Dome.
The new McLeod Center video board will maintain its place on the south wall of the McLeod Center. The new larger board will be 13’7 high by 31’6” wide, replacing the old board that is 8’8” high by 15’7”. The new McLeod Center video board will feature a 10mm difference between pixels compared to 16.5 mm on the existing video board.
The new video boards will be in use this fall for the 2014 UNI football and volleyball seasons with a targeted completion date of Aug. 1.
