Gilmer High School’s gym will have a pair of new video scoreboards at the start of the 2022-2023 academic year.
The scoreboard package was approved by a 4 to 1 Gilmer County Board of Education vote at its March 17 regular meeting and comes in at a grand total of $297,879.
The scoreboards were recommended for approval by superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley. Board chairman Ronald Watkins, vice chairman Doug Pritchett, and members Michael Bramlett and Michael Parks voted in favor of the purchase, and Joe Pflueger voted against.
The scoreboards will be funded by the 2015 special-purpose local-option sales tax allocated for “renovations and improvements at GHS athletic facilities.” These funds cannot be reallocated to other projects and must be used at Huff-Mosley Memorial Stadium, the baseball and softball fields, gym or Noah Harris Center.
As of January’s financial reports, there is “slightly over $7 million” in the 2015 ESPLOST account, according to the district’s chief financial officer Trina Penland.
The district received bids from six companies and opted to go with Plainview LED. Plainview then presented three options with varying price points and features.
“After speaking with those companies and looking at the availability of customer support and locality, Plainview is right there in Chattanooga,” said
director of human resources and facilities Dana Berry. “They have the ability to immediately support us, and they were the most cost-effective out of all the companies.”
One option packaged four video scoreboards, which included wall-mounted boards on either end of the gym plus two hung from the center of the ceiling for a bid of $551,569.
Option two included fixed-digit scoreboards on the ends of the gym with video boards suspended from the ceiling at a bid of $471,569.
The board of education chose option three, which includes two video scoreboards each measuring 10’x16’. Each will be wall mounted in the current position of existing scoreboards.
“We went through several iterations to come up with the most economical way to modernize the gym scoreboards,” said Berry. “What we’ll be able to do with those, in addition to all of the player profiles, is there is also a way to advertise and generate revenue during basketball, volleyball and wrestling.
“We’ll be able to do movie nights in the gym, and some of the coaches have been talking about things like Sweet 16 night during college basketball season. We’re trying to generate destinations and activities for the kids, as well as parents.”
Included in the $297,879 price tag are two shot clocks and backboard perimeter lighting that will illuminate when the shot clock expires. The price also covers the removal of existing scoreboards, installation of new scoreboards and shot clocks, flooring protection and equipment rental.
Berry noted the district’s maintenance department will handle the electrical wiring from the main service to the scoreboards and shot clocks, which will save $11,900.
The gym scoreboards use the same software that will operate the video board at Huff-Mosley Memorial Stadium. Plans are to have the gym scoreboards operated by GHS students from its audio, video and technology class under the supervision of adults. Students will be able to create different templates, player profiles, stats and graphics.
“It’s the same professional software used by the Indiana Pacers and other professional organizations,” Berry said. “They’ll get training on actual software that allows them to create digital video packages. Our kids are going to be on the leading edge getting all of that training.”
Installation of the scoreboards is expected to take place in July during two “dead week” periods when the gym will be empty.