Escambia County reviews Bay Center renovation, ASM Global offers updated studies as part of contract talks

Escambia County commissioners on March 6 received an update from ASM Global on planned maintenance and potential renovation options for the Bay ("Base") Center, and discussed whether to extend ASM’s operating contract while refining cost and program studies for a possible adjacent event/flex center.

The briefing outlined $10,000,000 in work approved earlier by the Tourist Development Council that ASM says will cover deferred maintenance and building upgrades — roughly $6,000,000 for work to be completed ahead of the upcoming event season and $4,000,000 to be spent over the following two years — and described broader renovation concepts, including a standalone event center or flexible space next to the arena that consultants have previously priced in the tens of millions.

Why it matters: The Bay Center serves as a local venue for hockey, concerts, graduations, conventions and emergency sheltering, and commissioners and stakeholders framed the renovation question as both an economic development (tourism/hotel tax) issue and a local quality-of-life investment for schools, nonprofits and youth sports.

Michael Capps, general manager for ASM Global at the Pensacola Bay Center, told commissioners the $10 million approved by the county and the Tourist Development Council is “primarily for deferred maintenance” and listed projects that include a new ice plant and ice floor, retractable lower-level seating, parking-lot repaving, upgraded fencing, lighting and locker-room improvements. "That $10,000,000 is primarily for deferred maintenance, issues that we've had over the years with the Bay Center to get small things fixed," Capps said.

ASM executives also summarized recent facility performance. Doug Thornton, president of North American Venues for ASM Global, said ASM has…