Dodge City's spenders want a 10,000 seat barn. Wichita already has one (that gives them problems) but they want a new 15,000 seat barn.... and
CONsultants to help them run their old one because they have problems.....
We will have problems with ours and here's a peek at what's to come....
Quote:
EDITORIAL: LATEST CONSULTANT REALLY NECESSARY?
Sedgwick County commissioners could have just given the job of running the county's new arena outright to the county's Kansas Coliseum staff, no bidding necessary, or hired a consultant to help the employees prepare to run the arena.
Instead, commissioners last week voted to spend $37,500 to hire an out-of-state consultant to prepare Coliseum employees to compete against private management companies for a chance to manage the arena.
Huh? That looks more like an act of waste and indecision than an exercise of "due diligence," as Assistant County Manager Ron Holt characterized it Tuesday to The Eagle editorial board. And if citizens aren't ready to revolt over local governments' overreliance on consultants, they've got to be getting close.
But Holt said that hiring the consultant fits with the county's process of ensuring it has weighed all options carefully on arena decisions.
He said that unlike the four private companies expected to bid on the arena management contract, the Coliseum staff has not had experience with naming rights, sky boxes, premium seating and the like. The arena is "going to be under a high level of scrutiny, and we just want to make sure as part of our open and transparent process that we're looking at all aspects," Holt said.
Meanwhile, some will wonder about the wisdom of possibly letting Coliseum staff manage the arena, given how Coliseum attendance and revenue have declined this year -- creating a $383,000 deficit through August for an operation that long has broken even or generated revenue through the Select-a-Seat ticketing service and promotional efforts.
But Coliseum manager John Nath, who will give commissioners a monthly update today, said Tuesday that the event business is cyclical and "we've got a pretty loaded fourth quarter, so I think we're going to be just fine."
Holt said the Coliseum had long planned to be closed for renovations during this period, prior to the arena idea's revival two years ago. He also noted that the concert market is down nationally; Holt thinks that in the next few years, concert prices will go down and concert attendance will go up.
If commissioners ultimately go with the Coliseum staff to manage the arena, Nath said, "I think they'll increase events and save money and be more in tune with their constituents, because we live here."
As this defining management decision is made, the nagging question for many residents will be: If the 10,000-seat Coliseum is having a hard time drawing crowds*, how much harder will it be for the 15,000-seat arena? The sooner county leaders can nail down the answer, the better for the arena's future and public trust.
For the editorial board, Rhonda Holman |
The Kansas Coliseum is in Wichita and sits next to an Interstate roadway.
Our's will be in the park... and dark.
THANK YOU oh wise ones' for leading us down this path.....