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Commissioners advance Lubbock County Expo Center after debate over funding deadlines and reserve size
Summary
The court authorized multiple steps to move the North University Expo Center forward — terminating the old architect contract, approving Park Hill's schematic design and a CMAR agreement, and passing a resolution requiring LCEC to secure financing by June 22, 2026; the resolution passed 4–1 after debate over whether the operations reserve should be $5 million or $10 million.
The Lubbock County Commissioners Court on March 23 authorized several measures to advance a proposed Expo Center at North University, including a termination letter to the original architect, acceptance of a schematic design from Park Hill, approval of a construction-manager-at-risk contract with Lee Lewis Construction Inc., and a resolution that conditions county support on Lubbock County Expo Center Inc. (LCEC) securing sufficient financing by June 22, 2026.
The court read and approved a resolution that Judge Parrish said requires LCEC to have a finalized closed loan or open line of credit sufficient to fund LCEC’s project costs by 06/22/2026, and makes the resolution null and void if that deadline is not met. The court recorded the final vote as 4 in favor and 1 opposed.
Why it matters: The actions move the county from planning to early procurement and construction phases while attempting to limit financial exposure by setting a funding deadline and keeping a cash reserve for operations. Commissioners debated how large that reserve should be and whether it should be held in cash immediately or built from dedicated venue-tax receipts.
Park Hill architect Alan Wolf presented schematic site and floor plans for the North University site, describing a phased build with an arena, warm-up area, wrapped parking and an ADA-accessible circulation plan. "We've worked closely with LCEC and the different partners to ensure sight lines, vendor space and the program needs are met," Wolf said during the presentation.
Randy Jordan, chairman of the Lubbock County Expo Center Inc., said the project's pro forma and operating assumptions were prepared by experienced venue operators and that venue tax receipts and sponsorships were expected to help offset operating shortfalls. "We feel like $5,000,000 is a very comfortable number for us to deal with today," Jordan said when explaining why LCEC recommended retaining a $5 million operations reserve rather than $10 million.
Judge Parrish proposed two amendments to the draft resolution. The court adopted an amendment setting a June 22, 2026 deadline for LCEC to secure financing and debated a second amendment to raise the county-held operations reserve from $5 million to $10 million; that second amendment failed to attract a second, and the court proceeded. The resolution ultimately passed 4–1.
The court also authorized the county judge to sign a termination letter to the project rchitect MWM Architects, citing no contract activity since May 2024, and approved a CMAR agreement with Lee Lewis Construction Inc. Curt Hewlett of Lee Lewis described the CMAR schematic-design budget and said the team expects design drawings and a final budget update in the fall, with additional budget reconciliations during design development and construction-document phases.
What happens next: With the resolution and contracts authorized, county staff and the LCEC design team will continue to refine the schematic design and the construction budget; commissioners said they expect further updates during the design development phase and before a guaranteed maximum price is presented to the court.
Actions recorded: The court (a) authorized the county judge to sign a termination letter to MWM Architects; (b) authorized a resolution advancing the Expo Center project with the June 22, 2026 financing condition; (c) authorized execution of a CMAR agreement with Lee Lewis Construction Inc.; and (d) approved Amendment No. 2 to the development agreement expanding allowable uses of venue tax revenue consistent with statutory language.
