Students can expect to see construction at Camp Randall stretching to the Kohl Center and the Shell this year if a proposal for renovations is approved, which would include new scoreboards.
The request to use about $15 million for the projects would cover the costs of the 23-foot by 44-foot scoreboard with a super-wide LED video display capable of instant replays, a feature that all of the scoreboards at the football stadium lack. Two supplemental scoreboards would also be purchased for the southeast side of the stadium, and another scoreboard visible for fans sitting under the upper deck would be installed.
If passed, the Kohl Center, which opened in 1999, would also receive four new displays capable of instant replays and the Kohl Center would house a control room to administer the scoreboards at the indoor arena with a direct fiber optic cable to the Camp Randall’s new displays.
“It is standard at schools of this size to have instant replay,” UW athletic department spokesman Steve Malchow said.
Alan Fish, UW associate vice chancellor of facilities, said cost-saving measures are built into the proposal.
“UW will save money to build one control room,” Fish said. He also said the scoreboards would be paid for by advertising money from rotating signs the display of companies’ logos and products.
The maintenance projects would also address problems of leaky concrete underneath seating sections and revamp older bathrooms at Camp Randall. Water heaters are also included in the budget to replace aging ones to comply with new regulations for concession and restrooms.
“This is the perfect time to address all the issues in Camp Randall,” Fish said, referring to the current construction to renovate the 80-year-old stadium.
The Shell would receive new chillers and coolant piping, hockey boards, and the concrete floor at the 200-foot by 85-foot ice rink. The equipment for the cooling apparatus would be housed in a new office building at Camp Randall that is part of the larger construction project.
“We’ve known that this has been leaking for a while, and we want to repair the ice sheet,” Fish said.
Fish said 60 percent of the maintenance project funding would come from the state, and 40 percent would come from athletic department revenue.
Melissa Bohrig, a UW junior majoring in interior design, said she hopes the additions will be made.
“I think it would be great,” she said. “Some things you miss at the game. It’d be cool to see the great plays.”
The proposal for maintenance projects and scoreboards will be formally introduced in a Board of Regents meeting in November, followed by a Building Commission meeting in the same month. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle asked for a “preview” of what is to be expected at those meetings.
Fish said if everything runs smoothly, the scoreboards would be installed in time for the 2004 sports seasons.
