By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The $720 permit fee for the new Northern Worcester Athletic Complex scoreboard was waived by the Berlin Town Council last week.

South Dakota-based Daktronics Inc. was contracted to install the upgraded sign at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex. The display will be used by Pop Warner Football, Beach Lacrosse, and other tournaments and leagues that may need the space. The scorekeeping device is 18 feet long, eight feet wide, and 10 feet above grade. It was funded by a grant.

The Berlin Town Council approved the agenda item to waive the permit fee at its Oct. 15 meeting. Councilmember Jack Orris made the motion, seconded by Councilmember Steve Green and unanimously passed by the municipal leaders.

“The sign will be where the football field is,” Director of Recreation and Parks Kelly Rados said. “…If I am along the sidelines and the field is going lengthways, it will be caddy cornered in the back.”

The Local Parks and Playground Infrastructure (LPPI) program fully funded the project. The sign itself cost $16,605. Including installation and shipping, the total price of the update reached $43,855.

In a letter to the town from Deputy Director of Recreation and Parks Jacob Stephens on Sept. 30, the department requested that the permit fee of $720 for the new sign be waived.

Rados said at the Oct. 15 meeting that eliminating the fee will allow the complex to use leftover LPPI grant funds for other amenities to complement the scoreboard project. Suggestions included bleachers or additional team benches.

The effort to get Pop Warner a new scoreboard has been in the works for a while. In August 2023, league representatives asked the Worcester County Commissioners to donate a 30-year-old sign previously used on Stephen Decatur High School’s football field to be repurposed for the Pop Warner space.

The local government at the time expressed concerns about using an old scoreboard and instead asked staff to research the possibility of purchasing a new device. At a July 2 meeting this year, the Worcester County Commissioners unanimously approved the purchase and installation of the updated sign.

“I know we have been working to get a new scoreboard up for the Pop Warner folks for a long time,” Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall said.