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Commission hears options, costs for multipurpose livestock arena
Summary
Representative Van Smith and commissioners discussed models, phased construction and staffing for a proposed Chilton County multipurpose arena, with examples from nearby counties and a recommendation to decide facility size and funding approach before proceeding.
Representative Van Smith told the Chilton County Commission on April 1 that communities must decide what scale of multipurpose livestock arena they want and how to fund it, describing several regional examples and staffing models.
"There's a real difference between an arena where you can hold a rodeo and a barn where you can have a pig show or a goat show or cattle show," Representative Van Smith said, urging the commission to weigh size, phased construction and long-term staffing needs.
The representative described Autauga County's facility as one that can host rodeos, car shows, dirt-bike races and animal shows and that is run by a full-time director, a full-time assistant and a part-time cleaner. Van Smith said his county built stalls and added phases over time; the first full facility he recalled was built in 1988–89 for ‘‘a little less than a million dollars’’ and later faced an architect’s estimate of about $1.5 million when expansions were considered.
Van Smith said a mid-size arena that is primarily a local venue would cost substantially less — "you probably talking about, you know, 3 to $500,000" — but would not attract the same out-of-county draws as a larger, fully enclosed arena. He estimated an inside arena of about 250 by 100 feet for one example and described a phased build that added horse stalls and a covered passage later. He said a full-scale horse show typically needs about 100 stalls; his facility was built in phases and included 50 stalls in a second phase.
Commissioners and staff discussed revenue models: Van Smith said larger events bring hotel room nights and dining dollars and that adult events are usually charged a facility fee, while youth events are often free. He also suggested renting space to extension, agricultural and forestry offices as a steady revenue stream.
Commissioner Headley said he has been making a motion to move forward with the multipurpose facility and intends to work with county staff to locate funding and begin phased planning. No formal vote was recorded at the meeting; commissioners indicated the item will return for formal action.
The discussion closed with commissioners asking staff to gather more cost and funding information and with plans to visit nearby facilities for additional research.
Next steps: commissioners said they would consider facility scale, funding sources and whether to pursue phased construction, and planned more detailed cost estimates and site work before bringing a motion for formal approval.
