Pacific board approves rental bleachers for 2024 rodeo, defers pricing and some equipment decisions

The City of Pacific board voted July 29 to approve combined rental orders for bleachers to support the city’s 2024 rodeo, approving a motion to proceed with quotes from Clancy and Big 10 while asking staff to continue exploring permanent-purchase options and fencing bids.

City leaders gathered at a special noon meeting to address the short timeline and limited vendor availability for rodeo seating. Kelly O’Malley, who presented the vendor information to the board, said multiple suppliers are booked during the September–October season and urged action to secure seats. She summarized three estimate lines and recommended combining Clancy’s offer with Big 10 Rentals to reach about 2,450 seats.

The board discussed cost and durability trade-offs between renting and buying. Members favored rentals for the immediate need because of timing, and several urged staff to quickly obtain firm prices for permanent bleachers for future consideration. One board member said purchasing could pay for itself in a few years but acknowledged upfront permanent-install costs and site requirements may be higher.

The motion, moved by Alderman Cleave and seconded by Alderman Madrigal, asked the city to proceed with the Clancy quote (listed in the presentation as $75,100) and the Big 10 rental line (presenter cited an additional figure near $28,717). President took a voice vote and declared, "the ayes have it," approving the rentals. The board’s president noted the city has $45,000 budgeted for bleacher rentals; combining the roughly $28,000 and $7,000 rental components discussed in the presentation would leave room for perimeter fencing within the current allocation.

Board members also addressed perimeter fencing and ticketing logistics. Presenters said the plan is to fence the rodeo ring while keeping the vendor area open; one fencing quote exists but the partnership that initially offered assistance will not be able to fund the fence, so staff will solicit three bids. Acting Alderman Kelly asked whether the city had sent sponsorship solicitation letters; staff said the city will send those letters by week’s end.

Lighting for the vendor area also drew attention. The presenter provided two light-plant rental quotes that exceeded typical single-line budget estimates (roughly $5,000 and $7,000 were mentioned). Several members recommended deferring the lighting decision to the board’s next regular meeting to allow packet review, to ask Public Works staff (referred to the board member Robert) for input on which vendor is easier to work with, and to check whether any companies might donate lighting.

Acting Alderman Kelly moved separately to keep ticket prices the same as last year — $10 for adults, $5 for children, free for those under 4 — so vendors could proceed with flyers and pricing. The board requested more specific expense and revenue numbers, and with no clear second the motion failed after members asked staff to provide last year’s expense list for comparison.

Before adjourning, a board member said a company in Baldwin had offered to visit Pacific to provide a purchasing estimate for permanent bleachers; staff said they would share that contact information. Alderman Madrigal moved to adjourn; the motion passed.

What happens next: staff will solicit at least three bids for perimeter fencing, hold the lighting decision for the next board packet so members and the public can review costs, provide last year’s rodeo expense detail (treasurer), and continue negotiations with the partnership for a written responsibilities list or separate agreement.