Curry County Event Center GM announces resignation as financial reports show small shortfalls

Kyla Jones, general manager of the Curry County Special Event Center, told the commission the facility’s August indirect expenses totaled $76,569 and the month finished $2,219 under the approved budget; September’s indirect expenses were $85,731 and the month finished $3,792 under budget. Jones said gross revenue fell in both months because two indoor pavilion events were canceled during ongoing construction.

Jones highlighted the Curry County Fair’s 2025 attendance of 21,900 (the largest day drew 5,467), 46 commercial vendors, 31 food-court vendors and $18,000 in sponsorships. She said the office expanded streaming promotion and reached more than 659,000 individuals through streaming platforms.

In a surprise announcement to the commission, Jones said she is resigning from her position "due to personal reasons at this phase in my life," and offered to stay as long as needed “to make sure that everything transitions smoothly.” Commissioners expressed appreciation for her work; Chair Bender called the news "a lot to take in" and thanked Jones for her service.

Jones acknowledged corporate support from Tabitha Seacrest and on-site leadership from Cleo Romery and Casey Messick, and said Kevin Ortiz at OVG supported onboarding. Commissioners and staff discussed the vacancy and transition process; county staff indicated OVG (the events-center manager) will post internally and then externally if needed and the county must approve any proposed manager candidate.

The commission did not take an immediate formal vote on successor selection during the meeting. The county manager said OVG’s contract has extension options and that the commission will need to decide whether to exercise extensions or pursue an RFP before the contract expiration window.