Stadium LED screen in works at Ames High

----Apollo

APOLLOMI large project showed in Ames High international stadium

Visitors to Ames High’s stadium could see more than just numbers illuminated on the scoreboard at football games this fall.

Athletic director Judge Johnston presented at Monday night’s school board meeting a plan to install an led display screen that is approximately 7 1/2 feet by 10 feet atop the existing scoreboard.

“It’s basically a video board, and it will allow us to do much more than just advertising,” Johnston said, noting the screen’s capabilities to display game statistics, show game highlights and broadcast weather alerts.

Ames’ AD said he hopes to have the display screen instalLed by the Little Cyclones’ Aug. 28 home football opener against Johnston, but first it must be approved by the school board. The next scheduled board meeting is July 13.

Clive-based Schwig Marketing has offered to install a nearly $70,000 led screen in exchange for a share of advertising revenue.

The agreement calls for Schwig to install the screen and sell advertising. Ames High and Schwig would then split 50/50 the advertising revenue from the board. Ames would also have an extra $9,000 deducted from its portion of the revenue for the first five years as a “product placement” cost.

The district could take over screen operations and maintenance at the end of seven years or renew the deal with Schwig, Johnston said.

Cory Braunschweig, president and founder of Schwig Marketing, was a scholarship golfer at Drake for three years and Iowa State for one. The 1995 Fort Dodge graduate said that a few years ago some schools were leery about costly scoreboard projects.

“But in these economic times, the school’s really not out anything,” Braunschweig said. “There’s no upfront cost for them. It’s all paid for through advertising dollars.”

Braunschweig said 17 or 18 businesses have already committed to advertise on Ames’ proposed new screen, but he’s hoping for a total of 25 to 30 advertisers. Each business would sign a three-year contract and pay $800 per year for advertisements on the screen during events.

The Little Cyclones’ football team, boys and girls soccer teams, and boys and girls track and field teams are the stadium’s main tenants.

CIML schools Urbandale and Waukee have LED display screens at their stadiums, Johnston said, as does Gilbert.

Ames High is in the midst of installing new synthetic turf at the stadium. Ground was broken on the $700,000 project in mid-May, and Johnston said it’s on schedule to be completed by early August.

The LED screen would make the stadium’s transformation even more drastic.

“This is an upgrade, and financially