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Partial acceptance of new fairgrounds Coliseum approved; Populous reports busy operations, modest change orders
Summary
The board approved partial acceptance of the MAPS Fairgrounds Coliseum and a $39,754 change order. Populous reported heavy use since the June ribbon-cutting (horse shows, Disney on Ice, Trace Adkins, PBR) and said cumulative change orders total roughly $1.1 million with a new contract total of $127,622,052. The board also approved a separate $5,892,593 amendment to Populous's stadium contract.
The MAPS Citizens Advisory Board approved partial acceptance of the MAPS Fairgrounds Coliseum on Nov. 6, 2025, and authorized a change order increase of $39,754 to cover two items: concrete manhole collars required by the city and additional TV displays the fairgrounds requested.
Travis Pauley of Populous described heavy use of the new Coliseum since its June ribbon-cutting, saying the facility has accommodated back-to-back horse shows, Disney on Ice (which required an ice floor and large rigging loads), Trace Adkins, Professional Bull Riders events and indoor soccer. "It has been put to use immediately and almost without stopping since it opened up," Pauley said. He told the board that the combination of change orders across the project totals about $1,100,000 and that the current contract total is $127,622,052.
In the same meeting the board approved Amendment #1 to Populous's architectural services contract for the MAPS multipurpose stadium, increasing the contract by $5,892,593. Staff said the higher design fee reflects an increased construction budget that incorporates $50,000,000 from a recently approved bond measure, enabling design of the full stadium project.
What happens next: Staff will continue final close-out and warranty steps for Coliseum partial acceptance and will process outstanding project documentation; the stadium design work will proceed under the amended contract.
(Reporting note: attendance figures comparing the new Coliseum to the old arena were requested during the meeting but were not available at the time of the presentation.)
