Boosters donation funds new Norwin baseball scoreboard

Two years in the making, Norwin is getting a new scoreboard for its high school baseball field.

Like so many things over the past 12 months, plans to install a new scoreboard at the high school field were postponed because of covid, said Ronald Awenowicz, president of the Norwin Baseball Boosters Club, which donated $30,450 to the district for the scoreboard.

The school board accepted a donation from the baseball boosters that will cover the cost of the scoreboard and its professional installation. The scoreboard is to be installed in time for this year’s baseball season, the district said.

The scoreboard will be outside the right field fence and will replace an old scoreboard there, Awenowicz said. The boosters club raised the money, in part, through a series of a fundraisers such as golf outings, Awenowicz said.

Institutional Specialties Inc. of O’Hara has created the scoreboard, Awenowicz said. Institutional Specialties says on its website it installs the scoreboards as well as builds them.

The district approved the scoreboard concept drawing. The final design, including the color selection and school district logo, will be selected by the school district.

There were plans in 2019 to install a new scoreboard to replace the old one. The boosters had provided money in February 2019 to install a $20,000 scoreboard from OES Inc. of London, Ontario, but that never happened. Het Construction Corp. of Irwin was to install it free of charge that year.

But, that did not happen in 2019 and covid restrictions canceled the high school baseball season last year and any plans to install the scoreboard, Awenowicz said. Because the project was delayed, the costs increased.

Unlike the old scoreboard, the new one will give Norwin the opportunity to sell space to sponsors to generate revenue.

Companies or organizations interested in a sponsorship can contact Jonathan Szish, Norwin communications and development director, at jszish@norwinsd.org or 724-515-3025.