Consultant recommends phased $5.7M improvements to Oakley Rodeo grounds, urges preserving 5,700-seat sellout

Joel Feldman, a consultant with CSL Consulting, presented the final results of a yearlong feasibility study to a joint meeting of the Oakley City Council and the Rodeo Committee on the potential renovation of the Oakley Rodeo grounds. Feldman recommended a phased plan centered on replacing the deteriorating north bleachers, expanding arena floor space to improve circulation, adding about 300 premium/hospitality seats, and modest guest-experience upgrades. He estimated total development costs at about $5.7 million and calculated an annual debt-service payment around $346,000–$350,000 on a 30-year bond at roughly 4.5 percent.

Feldman said the study was intended to determine whether the city should continue pursuing improvements and, if so, to provide an initial roadmap. "The end of this process really is just the end of the beginning," he told the council, framing the report as groundwork for later design and financing decisions.

The consultant framed the recommendations around three core findings: (1) the rodeo is a strong, sellout event that currently supports profitable operations; (2) the current complex already reaches a sizable regional market but has limits for hosting multi-day events because of hotel inventory and stall capacity; and (3) relatively modest, targeted investments could raise guest satisfaction and incremental revenue without eroding the event’s community character.

Key findings and figures from the study include: Feldman’s inventory of the complex shows current seating capacity at about 5,700 (outdoor arena capacity) with an indoor arena of roughly 400 seats and approximately 200 stalling spaces; many comparable events seek nearer 400 stalls. The Oakley Rodeo has produced operating profits for each of the last three years, and Feldman attributed about $200,000 of incremental 2024 net profit to adding a fifth night for an “Extreme Bulls” event. Using Placer.ai cell‑phone–derived visitor data, the study found the visitor draw comes primarily from the Salt Lake, Provo and Heber areas and that Oakley tracks roughly 7,500 visitors from more than 50 miles away in 2024.

Feldman cautioned that adding large-scale capacity risks losing the current scarcity that helps sell out the rodeo. "If you sell out every time, that scarcity is valuable," he said. For that reason his preferred approach emphasizes replacing and reconfiguring seating (especially the north bleachers) and adding limited hospitality inventory rather than simply enlarging the general-admission bowl to 8,000 seats.

On operations and revenue sources the consultant outlined options to fund debt service: incremental ticket-price increases, premium/hospitality seat sales, sponsorships, modest increases in food-service capture, and use of existing enterprise profits. Feldman’s rough pro forma assumed an 80–90 percent sell-through rate for tickets; a $5 per‑ticket increase at current sell-through would generate roughly $15,000 per performance in incremental revenue, not enough alone to cover debt service but useful combined with other streams. The consultant’s order-of-magnitude construction estimates were: roughly $1.4 million for primary facility improvements (arena expansion, penning, north restroom, new crow’s nest, demolish and rebuild north bleachers); about $1.3 million for competition-level and elevated hospitality seating; and about $1.2 million for guest-experience items (demo west bleachers, shade, lighting), for roughly $3.9 million in hard construction plus a $500,000 contingency for infrastructure and a 30 percent allowance for soft costs, arriving at the $5.7 million total.

City staff clarified revenue items during the presentation. Amy (city staff) said the ticket figures Feldman cited were "the actual ticket revenue that comes in through the front office" and do not include sponsorship money, which the city records separately.

Committee members and councilors raised practical concerns and short‑term, low‑cost ideas. Questions focused on stall capacity, hotel availability for multi‑day events, whether alcohol sales should be allowed, and how to capture more food and beverage revenue without alienating patrons. Feldman recommended experimenting cautiously — for example, surveying seasonal ticket holders about the appetite for premium-seat packages or PSL‑style contributions — and suggested trying limited hospitality tents or mobile points of sale on the north side for the coming rodeo to improve sightlines and concessions access.

No formal vote or financing decision was taken during the meeting. Council and committee members asked Feldman to share his contact information and the report; Amy said she would distribute the consultant’s full report and contact details to committee and council members. The council noted the item as part of the city’s capital improvements planning and scheduled continued committee consideration at future meetings (committee noted a meeting date of March 26 to follow up). Feldman told the group he is available to advise further through design and fundraising.

Ending: The consultant recommended a phased, design‑guided approach that preserves the rodeo’s sellout character while addressing the most pressing operational problems (north bleachers, restroom/food access and stalls) and pursuing a mix of revenue streams to limit the public subsidy. Councilmembers and committee members will review the full report, consider architect engagement for design drawings, and revisit financing and scope in coming meetings.