COLUMBUS – Former Polk County Schools Superintendent Bill Miller gained a reputation during his tenure for always seeking best-of-class options for students in the district.

So when Polk County High athletic director Brandon Schweitzer presented three ideas for replacing the aging scoreboard in Wolverine Stadium, Miller encouraged Schweitzer to pursue the grandest of the plans, seeing its potential for enhancing the in-game experience for county athletes and spectators as well as benefiting the PCHS athletic department.

The result is not only the biggest physical change to Wolverine Stadium since its opening, but the replacement of the complex name as well.

When Polk County hosts North Henderson tonight for its home football opener, the Wolverines will do so with a new digital information center – complete with video capabilities – replacing the scoreboard that has been in place since the stadium’s opening in 1992.

The scoreboard will also feature the new names of the complex – G.M. Tennant Stadium, named for Polk County Board of Education chairman and longtime community benefactor Geoffrey Tennant, and W.J. Miller Field, named for the former superintendent who retired earlier this year after more than 30 years spent in Polk County Schools. A dedication ceremony for the new monikers will be held Sept. 9 during the Polk County-Landrum football game.

As proud of the new scoreboard as school and district staff is, they’re even more happy that community support completely paid for making the vision of Miller and Schweitzer a reality. No taxpayer dollars were spent on the 25-foot wide scoreboard, which includes a video screen measuring 7 by 11 feet.

“This is a great testament to what Mr. Tennant and Mr. Miller have done in support of athletics and students and education in Polk County,” said Polk County Schools Superintendent Aaron Greene. “It’s also a great reminder of how much community support we have in Polk County for all our programs.”

A number of the community sponsors will be recognized with panels on the scoreboard, and the video capabilities of the project will allow Polk County athletic staff to offer advertising opportunities, creating a new revenue stream for the department. But the video option also creates possibilities for use during events such as the county’s Special Olympics competition and high school graduation.

“The revenue generated from this situation over time will be really good for athletics,” said Miller, who helped oversee the project before his retirement in July and has been on hand this week for the scoreboard installation. “I believed from the beginning that we would find people in the community, businesses and foundations, that would contribute to make this happen.

“It’s going to be really good for the kids, whether you’re talking about Special Olympics or graduation or any other event that happens involving students and the community. It’s something the kids will enjoy and will be affirming for them.”

The scoreboard features an LED display that will be controlled from the stadium press box. While no plans are currently in place to integrate any type of live video or video replays, that functionality exists. Audio is fully integrated, and school and district officials are also working to improve the quality of audio in the stadium.

“It’s been a lot of fun being involved in this process from start to finish,” Schweitzer said. “When I started going to work on the different options I was tasked to present and when I put together the ‘dream’ option, I never imagined it would happen and would be sitting there. It is truly a testament to the support we get from our community and our fan base.

“As a former player, you take a lot of pride in your stadium, in the jersey you wear and what it represents. All of these things are reminders that you are part of something bigger than yourself. This board is another reminder of what it means to be a part of the Wolverine family and this amazing community.”

–  article submitted by PolkSports.com