Workers weld the steel frame which will hold a 21'x66' video board as early as Thursday.
Workers could be seen welding where a 21'x66' video will be placed in the west end zone of the Carrier Dome, mirroring one that is already installed above the east end zone. More workers from Daktronics were installing a new LED board that will display the time and temperature in the northwest corner of the Dome. Everywhere I looked in the Carrier Dome today you could see new LED video and scoreboards either being installed or already connected to make the Carrier Dome look better. Everything from the state-of-the-art ribbon lighting that rings around the third level facade of the Dome to small boards above each team's locker room and even smaller ads are now LED.
Executive Director of the Carrier Dome Pete Sala put it best today when he called the new video boards "absolutely beautiful". Sala gave me a sneak peak of the new look interior of the Dome, which currently has basketball courts down for the upcoming Orange Basketball Camp. Believe it or not, with so many new video boards and LED screens the Carrier Dome will be using LESS power than it had before with the outdated light-bulb based scoreboards. One of the old video boards, which is dwarfed in comparison to its new neighbors in the end zones, will be used as a scoreboard.
Sala says this will "totally enhance" the fan experience. It will certainly light up the interior of the Dome and no doubt engage fans during games. The improvements not only will make Orange football and basketball games more exciting, but even upcoming musical acts like the Zach Brown Band. Sala says the hopes is that the new-look Dome, which already proved it can draw from throughout the region with two sold-out "Monster Jam" shows, can draw more big name acts.
Click the video player to see the work being done inside the Carrier Dome.
