City Attorney Paul Brown and staff reviewed two proposals received in response to the city’s request for proposals for Memorial Hall. One submittal — a large out‑of-market package that referenced unrelated projects and a very large hypothetical development cost — was judged by staff to be unresponsive to the RFP’s scope. The other proposal came from a local group labeled the “Unconvention Hall team.”

Staff summary: The local proposal described a mixed-use vision for Memorial Hall that included small rentable artist studios, a commercial kitchen, event programming and an estimated $10 million in capital improvements with a proposed long-term city subsidy (staff summarized a requested $400,000 annual city subsidy in the materials). Staff and the city manager expressed concern about the financial assumptions, the plan’s reliance on ongoing city subsidy and the unclear revenue projections. Because the proposal required substantial public subsidy and presented material financial risk, staff did not recommend accepting the local team’s plan as submitted.

Next steps suggested by staff: Paul Brown said the city should consider a narrower, procurement-focused RFP that seeks a professional manager/promoter or operator for Memorial Hall — an approach that would align with other site-planning work (including Star Bond analysis) and reduce city financial exposure. Brown and other staff recommended that council consider launching a follow-up procurement to attract operators who can demonstrate experience, realistic pro‑forma projections and plans that dovetail with any Star Bond or downtown activation strategies.

Why it matters: Memorial Hall is a large civic asset often discussed as a driver for downtown activity; the council must balance adaptive reuse ideas with the city’s fiscal constraints and the need for a credible operator capable of delivering events and tenant revenue.

Council feedback: Several council members expressed a desire to pursue an operator-focused procurement and to be cautious about committing long-term operating subsidies without credible, underwritten financial plans and concrete operator experience. Staff suggested returning with a draft operator/management RFP and timeline for council review.

Ending: City staff will draft a manager/promoter RFP for council consideration, aligning the procurement with broader downtown and Star Bond planning.