Hollywood Park officials and staff agreed to direct hotel-tax revenues and a draw from reserves toward repairs and limited upgrades at the Voigt Center, the city’s event facility, after an extended discussion of needed work that included HVAC units, a nonfunctional kitchen hood and the absence of a sprinkler system.

Finance Director Fred (Fred) told council the hotel-tax fund was projected to bring in about $35,000 this fiscal year with $5,000 in interest and roughly $100,000 already in reserves. He proposed pulling about $30,000 from those reserves so the city could budget roughly $69,000 for immediate Voigt Center improvements, including repairs to two aging air-conditioning units and kitchen upgrades. Council and staff also agreed to spend some hotel-tax money on advertising to bring more events to the facility.

Fire department staff and Rosenberg engineers told council they found the Voigt Center’s kitchen hood “inoperable” and difficult to service; multiple contractors had recommended replacement rather than repair because the existing hood design requires dropping the entire hood to service it. Chief (Fire Chief) said the hood must be made operational “at a minimum,” noting the combination of a nonfunctional hood and an unsprinklered public assembly building raises safety concerns. Staff told council the hood could likely be recharged or made operable for a few thousand dollars, but replacement with a serviceable model could cost substantially more.

Council members split over replacing air-conditioning units preemptively. Some members argued to spend reserves now because the hotel-tax money is restricted to visitor-related uses and sits unused otherwise; others urged deferring replacement until units fail or until engineers document end-of-life conditions, so the city does not draw down reserves needed for larger, code-driven work (notably a possible sprinkler system). Rosenberg is to provide a more detailed HVAC assessment and a prioritized list of recommended work.

Council agreed to three near-term steps: (1) budget a Voigt Center spending package that uses hotel-tax revenue and a $30,000 draw from reserves to cover advertising, hood remediation and limited HVAC work; (2) direct staff to get a vendor estimate to restore or replace the kitchen hood so it can be used safely for catered events; and (3) request Rosenberg and staff to test hydrant flows and assess whether a sprinkler system is feasible and what it would cost, before committing major reserves toward sprinkler installation. Staff and council also discussed whether limited maintenance and temporary measures could reduce the urgency of full HVAC replacement.

Council members and staff emphasized that hotel-tax revenues are legally limited to visitor-related uses — advertising, venue improvements and items that “put heads in beds.” Several council members said they preferred using those funds for facility improvements rather than drawing on the general fund. Councilwoman (unnamed) asked staff to obtain multiple bids and to bring cost estimates back to council for any work above the agreed near-term package.

The council’s plan preserves funding for longer-term needs while allowing immediate safety and customer-service fixes that staff and users said are causing cancellations and refunds. The Council will review vendor bids and Rosenberg’s HVAC and sprinkler assessments before authorizing larger replacements or sprinkler installation.