Submitted graphic: An artist's rendering of the new baseball scoreboard at McNeil Field inside Dodger Stadium. Work is slated to be done and completed this fall.

The Fort Dodge Community Schools Foundation has taken the lead alongside two local businesses in an upcoming project to replace the baseball scoreboard at Ed McNeil Field inside Dodger Stadium.

Work is slated to begin this fall above the ivy-clad walls in right-centerfield. The current scoreboard — installed in 2011 — will be replaced at a cost of $128,000.

The FDCSF board voted unanimously at its June meeting to fund the project, with Josephson Manufacturing and Northwest Bank of Fort Dodge committing $25,000 each to support the work as well.

“This is a need, not a want,” the Foundation’s executive director, Nik Moser, said. “The current scoreboard is over 15 years old. It has served its purpose, and doesn’t function at a consistent enough level to be reliable moving forward.

“This is what (the FDCSF) is here for: going above and beyond the district’s general budget to help see worthy and necessary projects through. And we want to thank Josephson Manufacturing and Northwest Bank for getting on board with us. It was important to find a balance between making sure the scoreboard was fully operational and more user- and fan-friendly while including some advertising. We have a plan in place and a design that checks those boxes.”

Fort Dodge Community School District Superintendent Josh Porter didn’t want a scoreboard upgrade to get lost in the shuffle of priorities, so he contacted the FDCSF to help.

“We have a lot going on right now with the big high school renovation and everything else,” Porter said. “We appreciate the Foundation taking the lead here and getting this done, alongside the advertising support of Josephson Manufacturing and Northwest Bank.

“This item has been on our list for a while. It’s something that has personal meaning to a lot of people in our community, given our rich baseball history and the traditions of McNeil Field and Dodger Stadium. It’s a special place.”

The new scoreboard will feature all of the technological opportunities that weren’t available when the current system was installed in 2011.

“It will definitely enhance the game experience,” Porter added. “This just speaks volumes for the collaboration and support the Foundation and (the FDCSD) have for each other. Good partners make anything possible.

“We are blessed to have a Foundation with board members who support all aspects of the school district.”

The commitments from Josephson Manufacturing and Northwest Bank span five years each. The FDCSF will cover the remaining balance of $78,000.

The original large right-centerfield scoreboard was installed at McNeil Field in 1995 and lasted 16 years. Before that, a small structure with basic electronics flanked the left-field foul pole.

Dodger Stadium opened for football play in the fall of 1940. The baseball side was added to the venue in 1942, and the Chicago Cubs and White Sox christened the new field with an exhibition game in April of that year.

Lights were added in 2015.

The baseball complex has been Ed McNeil Field since 1992 – named after the school’s long-time, Hall of Fame head coach.