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Council hears Coliseum, convention center deficits; staff flags $6M+ of venue-related shortfalls and proposed repairs
Summary
Staff told council the Coliseum and convention center face operating deficits (about $1.4M and $600K in FY21) and identified capital needs — a new scoreboard, LED conversion and dressing-room repairs — that staff say could be phased but would total multi‑million dollars.
City staff told the council that the Coliseum and convention-center funds are significantly impacted by the pandemic and that retained earnings have been used to cover shortfalls. "We're projecting about $1,400,000 cash deficit in '21," the presenter said of the Coliseum, and staff estimated roughly $600,000 of operating loss in the convention-center fund for FY21.
Staff presented a slate of capital fixes intended to preserve those venues’ marketability: a new LED scoreboard (estimated about $2 million), LED conversion of lighting (staff identified $500,000 of the $875,000 package and estimated an $80K–$86K annual savings), and a larger dressing-room and drainage repairs package (staff estimated about $4.5 million and suggested phasing). "A big chunk of the $875,000 here is related to converting to LED lighting. That's about $500,000 at this time," staff said while presenting the convention-center list.
Council asked staff to explore phasing, possible bonding or grant options, and revenue-generation ideas, including naming rights, and to return with a prioritized, phased plan so the manager can evaluate tradeoffs for the FY22 CIP.
