$24M facelift approved for Baltimore stadiums 

Posted: 7:21 pm Wed, November 4, 2009
By Nicholas Sohr
Daily Record Business Writer

ANNAPOLIS — The Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved financing for $24 million in stadium improvements, including renovations to the seating bowl of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and a pair of new video boards for M&T Bank Stadium.

The boards, which show highlights, replays and other video, sit above both end zones in the home of the Baltimore Ravens and have been in place since the stadium opened in 1998.

“It was a very innovative board,” said Michael Frenz, executive director of the Maryland Stadium Authority. “It really set the standard in terms of size and resolution and field placement.”

But now, the boards have become obsolete. So obsolete, in fact, Frenz said stadium officials cannot find the light emitting diodes, or LEDs, to replace the cells that burn out. Stadium workers have been replacing broken cells with those from the left-most row on the western board.

Frenz said the authority and the Baltimore Ravens believe there is an “unacceptably high” risk of a major video board malfunction during a game.
New boards from Daktronics Inc. will cost $3.35 million. The stadium authority will cover $1.39 million and Ravens will pick up the rest of the tab. The high-definition boards are scheduled to be in place before the NCAA lacrosse finals begin May 29.

The stadium’s existing boards are 24-foot by 100-foot SmartVision video screens. According to the Ravens, they were the largest LED video display screens in any sports venue in the world when the stadium opened.

That honor now belongs to the Dallas Cowboys, who boast a quartet of high-definition screens suspended above the field in their new stadium. Two screens, each 160 feet wide, face the sidelines, and 48-foot screens face the end zones. The Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets and Giants also have high-definition boards in their stadiums.

The Board of Public Works also approved $10 million for improvements to Oriole Park, and $10 million for energy-efficiency projects to both the football and baseball stadiums.

Frenz said the authority expects to see $1.1 million per year in energy savings.

Work on Camden Yards will include replacing seats and repairing concrete and handrails in the seating bowl. Frenz said there could be more renovation work on the horizon for the stadium as the authority looks for ways to extend the baseball stadium’s lifespan.

“Our long-term vision is this is a 100-year ball park, like Fenway Park in Boston,” he said.

Camden Yards opened in April 1992.

The authority recently finished replacing the video board at Camden Yards. The 75-foot by 28-foot, high-definition board, smaller graphic board and new control room cost $9.1 million.