New scoreboard, sound system coming to Victory Field, but not until 2017

The Indianapolis Indians, coming off another season of record attendance, can look forward to several major improvements at Victory Field. But they won't begin until 2017.

The team's 20-year lease extension, announced in October, comes with a list of stadium projects — and the order in which they are to be completed.

The lease extension calls for the Capital Improvement Board, in the first four years of the contract, to spend up to $2 million per year and up to $6 million overall for the improvements.

"Nothing will occur until next off-season," Indians general manager Randy Lewandowski said, noting that the lease extension doesn't start until April.

These are the projects, in order of priority with the estimated cost in parenthesis:

• Complete sound system replacement ($300,000).
• Outfield scoreboard replacement and installation of new "ribbon boards," long, slim video boards that can show ads, statistics and "crowd prompts" ($1.95 million to $2.15 million).
• Suite renovation ($1.5 million to $1.9 million).
• Suite-level common area renovation ($195,000 to $215,000).
• Suite-level restrooms ($115,000 to $125,000).
• Replacement of stadium seating ($1.65 million to $1.75 million).
• Completion of auxiliary storage  building ($210,000 to $235,000).
• Completion of administration office-level extension ($1.44 million to $1.54 million).
• Completion of "Home Plate Club" on suite/press level ($1.7 million to $1.85 million).

The team pays for operating the stadium, but as announced in October, it will no longer pay rent. The Indians paid $500,000 per year under the previous agreement. CIB Executive Director Barney Levengood said a bond issue had been paid off and that allowed for the elimination of rent.

The Indians, who compete in the Class AAA International League, had record attendance of 662,536 last season. That ranked third in the nation behind the Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League (672,354) and the Charlotte Knights of the International League (669,398).

The lease extension allows the Indians to sell naming rights to Victory Field, as the original contract did. But there are no plans to change the name, Lewandowski said. The name comes from the U.S. victory in World War II, and was the name of the Indians' previous stadium, on 16th Street, from 1942 to 1967.

"We think the name Victory Field resonates," Lewandowski said.

The contract also spells out several categories of unacceptable advertising, including politics, tobacco, contraceptives, adult entertainment and anything with profanity.

Call Star reporter Mark Alesia at (317) 444-6311. Follow him on Twitter: @markalesia.