City hears feasibility study for Oakley Rodeo complex; committee and project managers urge master plan and phased work

CSL Consulting told the Oakley City Council it completed a market and facilities feasibility study for the Oakley Rodeo Complex and recommended a staged renovation focused on guest experience, modernized stalls and service infrastructure, and a limited increase in premium seating.

The recommendation, presented by Joel of CSL, included a summary of the complex’s current scale — roughly 5,700 outdoor seats, an indoor arena that fits about 400–500 people and about 200 stalls — and a set of improvements that would raise the facility’s competitiveness without drastically enlarging the core arena footprint. "So CSL was engaged by the city to conduct a feasibility study for the potential renovation of the Oakley Rodeo Complex," Joel said in opening his presentation.

Why it matters: councilors were shown that the rodeo is an established regional draw with national ticket buyers, but constrained overnight lodging, limited stall and RV capacity, and production limitations that reduce the range of large events the city can attract. The study quantified likely costs and revenue levers and left final scope, funding and schedule choices to the city.

Key findings and recommendations - Facilities and capacity: CSL counted about 5,700 seats in the outdoor arena, an indoor arena that seats roughly 400–500 and approximately 200 stalls. The firm recommended improving stall quality and aiming for 200 stalls sized at 10x10 (12x12 preferred) and increasing RV hookups to about 75–100 (with ~40% 50-amp service) to support producers and participants. - Seating and hospitality: rather than a large overall expansion, CSL recommended redeveloping the north bleachers, improving north–south connectivity, and adding premium/hospitality seating (competition-level and an elevated platform). CSL estimated a modest increase in total seats — roughly to 6,100 with ~400 premium seats — while preserving the in-demand general-admission product that helps the rodeo sell out quickly. - Guest experience and operations: upgrades called out included better concession facilities and food offerings, additional restrooms (northeast and southeast corners suggested), shade structures, improved parking-lot lighting and improved concourses so spectators could continue to view the action while moving about. - Production infrastructure: CSL noted limitations for concert promoters (load-in/load-out and staging), recommended built-in provisions for jumbo screens, audio/video support and announcer booths, and recommended exploring expanded warm-up and penning areas to improve safety and flow.

Costs and funding - CSL provided a rough order-of-magnitude estimate. Hard construction costs for the primary package (outdoor arena expansion, new penning, restrooms, crow's nest, demolition and new north bleachers) were estimated at about $3,900,000. With a contingency of roughly $500,000 and soft costs (design, FF&E, change orders) estimated at about 30% of hard costs, the total development cost estimated in the presentation was about $5,700,000. - Debt service illustration: at a 4.5% interest rate over 30 years, CSL estimated annual payments near $350,000 for the full program. - Potential revenue offsets identified by CSL included small ticket-price increases (an illustrative $5 GA increase could generate roughly $115,000–$140,000 gross and $80,000–$100,000 net toward debt service based on historical sell-through), revenue from premium seating (ballpark $40,000–$80,000 annually depending on configuration and pricing), food-and-beverage enhancements, and sponsorships. CSL reported sponsorship revenue of about $640,000 in 2024 and said operating net profit from the complex was just over $200,000 in 2022–2023 and rose in 2024 after adding the Extreme Bulls event.

Rodeo committee and project-management response Members of the rodeo committee and representatives from BDK (a project-management firm) responded to CSL’s market-driven recommendations with a user-focused alternative and an implementation plan. - The rodeo committee stressed preserving the existing arena footprint and the current arrangement of bucking chutes (east) and timed-event approaches (west). Committee members argued for building infrastructure around the arena rather than shifting the arena itself and prioritized walkways above seating (so early rows are not blocked by pedestrian traffic), restroom and contestant facilities, enclosed and finished north-side fencing, and production-friendly alleys and pens under bleachers. - BDK project managers (introduced as Chris and Clint) recommended that the council commission a single, city-funded master plan and civil assessment before large construction decisions. They advised a phased approach that begins with utilities and site work and follows with sequential bleacher replacements and production infrastructure: - Phase 1: full-site utilities, drainage and civil work (power, sewer stub-outs, fiber, drainage corrections) - Phase 2: replace north bleachers and extend northwest corner (stubbing for timed-event area) - Phase 3: replace east-side seating and enlarge the announcer/production booth - Phase 4: replace west and south bleachers and complete corner infill BDK emphasized that stadium seating suppliers typically engineer and supply structural drawings as part of their packages and advised beginning procurement early (lead times for manufactured seating can be months).

Council and staff direction, timeline and next steps discussed - Council members and staff agreed on the need for a master plan and to better define priorities before committing to construction. BDK and rodeo representatives urged the city to hire master-planning and civil teams that specialize in fairgrounds/arena facilities and to develop cost estimates and phasing over the coming months. - Tentative timeline discussed: prepare and issue an RFP for master-planning and design within the next 2–3 weeks; complete a master plan and prioritization by late summer/early fall (September–October) so design and long-lead procurement (stadium seating) can proceed in time for construction in 2026 if the council so chooses. - BDK offered project-management services and noted their in-house estimating and design-review capability to produce comprehensive cost estimates and help the city align scope with budget.

Event operations: ticketing, locals presale and parking logistics Council and staff discussed operational changes for the next rodeo cycle that do not require capital spending. - Ticketing: Amy (city events staff) recommended limiting ticket purchases per transaction to prevent large single orders and reduce secondary-market resales. Staff recommended capping purchases to 25 tickets per person during sales and moving primary general-public sales online (with in-office sales for patrons without online access). Amy said the city can limit purchases by credit-card number to slow automated bots and that limiting sales by IP address is possible but complicates legitimate family purchases. - Locals presale: staff proposed retaining a short, in-office Oakley City residents-only presale window (proof by Oakley utility bill or property tax notice) followed by a broader locals/valley presale or immediate general sale. Council members discussed practical exceptions for cabin owners and canyon residents and asked staff to craft an administrable policy; one option discussed was offering presale access tied to documented involvement (volunteering or vendor participation) to balance fairness and local preference. - Parking and production logistics: staff outlined a plan to reserve defined fields and adjacent areas for vendor, staff and volunteer parking, to require corporate picnic customers to prepay for parking to avoid ad hoc blocking of patron spaces, and to use barricades and signage to direct volunteers and production staff to a dedicated lot behind the venue. Staff requested council cooperation to park in the designated production/volunteer lot during event setup.

Formal actions at the meeting - Consent calendar: the council approved the consent calendar (minutes, invoice register and a designation of the old rodeo buck and shoots as surplus property). The motion passed by voice vote; the meeting record stated the vote was unanimous. - Closed session: toward the end of the meeting councilors moved and seconded to go into a closed session; the motion passed by voice vote.

What the council did not decide No formal action was taken to authorize construction, bond issuance, or a specific funding package for the rodeo improvements. The council did not adopt a final design or construction contract; instead it directed staff to pursue the master-planning step and to return with refined estimates and a recommended priority list.

Ending Council members and staff described the presentation and the committee’s proposals as a starting point. The immediate steps are to finalize an RFP for master planning/design work, capture civil and utility needs, and return in the coming months with a prioritized, costed plan the council can fund or phase. BDK and rodeo committee representatives said they will remain available to help craft the RFP and advise on phasing and procurement.