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State Fair outlines Bison Arena work and emergency command center ask; ag committee added $750,000 for 2026
Summary
Kansas State Fair staff briefed the committee on ongoing Bison Arena renovation, expo center bond payments, routine maintenance and an emergency command center project; the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee recommended $750,000 general fund for the emergency center in 2026.
Officials for the Kansas State Fair told the committee the long-running Bison Arena renovation remains underway, the expo center rehab bonds are being paid down and the fair intends to use a mix of special revenue and general fund for facility projects. The hearing included discussion of a proposed emergency command center and a 2026 funding recommendation from the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
Luke Drury, senior fiscal analyst for Legislative Research, told the committee the Bison Arena—originally constructed in 1937—was deemed unsafe after the 2019 State Fair and received a $10 million General Fund appropriation from the 2022 Legislature; remaining balances are expected to be expended in FY2025. The fair also has a State Fair Capital Improvement Fund (special revenue) funded by transfers from fees and statutory transfers (roughly $300,000 per year), which the State Fair can use for capital projects.
Drury and Kansas State Fair General Manager Brian Schultz described a proposed emergency command center. The State Fair had originally requested $2 million; the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee recommended $750,000 General Fund for FY2026. Drury said the fair will coordinate with the Highway Patrol, Reno County and the city of Hutchinson; the command center may be located near, rather than on, the fairgrounds. Drury also noted a previously approved $1.2 million bond-funded expo center rehab that has been completed; final bond payments continue through FY2028.
Why it matters: The emergency command center is intended to create a coordinated staging area for first responders during large events at the fairgrounds and nearby jurisdictions; the Bison Arena renovation affects the fair’s long-term use and safety of a signature facility.
Ending: Committee members asked staff to include the emergency command center in later discussions; the committee did not finalize a recommendation for the State Fair emergency center during this hearing because of packet and quorum issues and planned further consideration.
