Regents approve Kinnick video, sound upgrade

[EDIT: I stand corrected. The video board/sound upgrades will be up and going this fall. Check this post from The Gazette's Diane Heldt. UI athletics director Gary Barta admits that it will be a tight timeline, but the plan is to have it done for this upcoming season.]

[EDIT II: According to Diane -- she's at the Regents meeting in Cedar Falls, BTW -- the financing package the board approved for that Kinnick project totals $8 million, but they expect the total cost of everything will be $9 million because of the increase in bids on a portion of the project. Just FYI.]

Kinnick Stadium was renovated to the tune of nearly $90 million in 2006. Remember, when they blew up the old press box?

Relive that moment below:

You can't go from 2005 (when the video boards were actually installed) to the now with your video and sound equipment turning into digital ash. The existing video walls, control room equipment and sound system at Kinnick are eight years old, UI officials told Gazette reporter Diane Heldt last week.

And that's why the UI is working through the state Board of Regents on a new video display and sound system for Kinnick Stadium. The company Iowa has centered on is Daktronics, Inc., at a total cost of $8 million.

The regents have approved the project. As per usual, the Iowa athletics department will foot this bill using no tax or tuition cash.

The project includes a large screen video display system within the existing south end zone structure, video displays in the northeast and northwest end zone corners and a ribbon display to be installed above the seating along the north side of Kinnick Stadium.

That ribbon display will show game information, video, scores and advertising. In addition to those four video displays, the purchase request also includes two game clocks and four play clocks.