Pictured left is a view of the original four-sided scoreboard from when the STC Roundhouse was opened in 1968. A larger, updated version was installed in the mid-90s and has been in use ever since (pictured right). Starting next school year, the gym will see an upgrade with two flat scoreboards to be installed behind the baselines of the basketball court, replacing the center-hung unit. -- News Chronicle File Photos

A fixture of the South Tama County Roundhouse will be getting an upgrade for the 2021-22 school year.

The four sided center hung scoreboard unique to the STC gym will be upgraded to a more modern system.

The current score board has been in use since the mid 90’s. Former longtime Athletic Director Ken Kolpin struck a deal with Coca-Cola to upgrade the scoreboard.

The center-hung scoreboard has been a fixture for far longer than the 90’s. Former STC high school principal John Legg came to the district in 1986 and recalled a center hung scoreboard being in use at that time. News Chronicle archives also show photos of a four-sided scoreboard mounted above the basketball court when the gym was first opened in 1968.

The change has become necessary as replacement parts for the board are no longer available. School staff have been making due for the past several years but issues such as the control panel sparking have forced the school’s hand to make a change.

STC Activities Director, Anthony Jahr, presented the STC school board with bids for new scoreboard systems not just for the gym but also for the baseball and softball fields. The baseball and softball scoreboards are each about 20 years old.

The bid presented came from Daktronics.

With new scoreboards come new features. The scoreboards in the gym will be a two-board system that will hang on the north and south walls.

On the north wall will be a video board with stat panels that will track points and fouls. The south side scoreboard will be a more traditional scoreboard with time, points etc.

The boards at the baseball and softball field will display scores for each inning. The only difference will be on the softball scoreboard the batter’s number will be displayed on the board while while at the baseball field, the pitch count will be displayed.

Pitch counts are a fairly new stat required for tracking by the Iowa High School Athletic Association in recent seasons. This will make the pitch count more public for those at the game and could consolidate scoreboard and pitch count duties, which had been done previously by two people.

The new systems will operate wirelessly and will have the capability to be operated from an iPad.

The total cost for replacing all three scoreboard systems is around $120,000, which includes $15,000 for installation.

The STC Actives Booster Club has agreed to donate 51% of the cost.

“If we were going to make an upgrade we wanted it to be something the school and community would be proud of,” Jahr said.