Consultant Gathering Expo Center Information in Salina
Todd Pittenger - Thu 07:49 PM 02/16/2012
Joel Feldman from Minnesota-based Conventions, Sports & Leisure International listens to a question Thursday afternoon in Salina.
Can Saline County support a new expo center? A consultant is spending several days in Salina this week, gathering information to try and answer that question.
Joel Feldman from Minnesota-based Conventions, Sports & Leisure International is in Salina through Friday morning. Feldman is on a fact-gathering mission, and has been meeting with numerous people. He has met with county and city commissioners, potential expo center users, and the general public.
The company is conducting a market analysis, reviewing the existing facilities. Through that, they will determine the feasibility of a potential new facility.
The study will be conducted in two parts. The first part, consisting of a market analysis, will cost $35,500. If at that time it's determined that a new facility could not be supported, commissioners could opt out of the preliminary design phase and save $14,000.
County Commissioner Jerry Fowler said that the appealing thing about Conventions, Sports & Leisure International is that the company will not necessarily recommend building an expo center. He said that about 20 percent of the time the company finds that a facility of this type could not be supported by the community.
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IamMe
Thursday 16 February 2012 20:17 Report this comment
I am bettin on spend money like drunken obama!
jimdingo
Friday 17 February 2012 05:36 Report this comment
If the county gets their expo center, maybe the city will finally get its damned Olive Garden. Yaaaaaaaay!
getumgranny
Friday 17 February 2012 06:58 Report this comment
If this group can show me that a new expo center will make money somehow year round, not sit idle like our Bi-center does then I may be more supportive! And, if the management of a new center is better than how the Bi-center is managed, ok. They have a habit of booking 2-4 events at the same time, on the same weekends. When that happens the parking is terrible, and the over-crowding there is ridiculous. They need to spread the events out, 1 per weekend, make the programs they book more affordable for EVERYONE, some of us older folks would enjoy going to certain shows there, but, I cannot afford $60 a ticket. The Fox downtown is worse yet, sure, they do get some quality entertainment there, but who can afford to spend $120-$150 for a couple to go and enjoy themselves in the economy today??!! This group needs to come up with a plan that will show a new Expo would benefit the WHOLE community, not just certain groups.
getumgranny
Friday 17 February 2012 07:01 Report this comment
LOL, throw some penny slots in the Bi-center and be open from about 7am-4pm, serve an affordable lunch, the seniors in our community would pack the place daily, and, the building would be making some money to help defray the upkeep and maintenance. :)
Freewill
Friday 17 February 2012 07:54 Report this comment
The 3 have fallen off their rockers. How many times does the public have to say cram this expo center where the sun don't shine. If this expo center was going to be self supporting then why hasn't the public sector built the darn thing. But no, lets spend $35,500 of the taxpayers money to see if we can float this sunken ship. I am ashamed of the "conservative" party bashing Obuma and doing the same thing (tax and spend.) The economy is a wreck, people are struggling to pay taxes as it is, and you three want to study projects that will raise more taxes. You are willing to ram this project down our throats so the rest of the county can choke on all the new taxes. P.S. KSAL will be pulling this news bit after a large group bag on it. media censorship at it's best. Right Clark!
troy
Friday 17 February 2012 08:13 Report this comment
NO, NO, NO, NO!
Noob
Friday 17 February 2012 08:43 Report this comment
35,500 dollars for a few days work? I want their job. Whats wrong with the bi-center other than its not used much? This is not Kansas City people.
OILMANTOM
Friday 17 February 2012 09:08 Report this comment
LETS SEE HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE BEAT THIS DEAD HORSE!!!!! THE COUNTY COMMISSION LOOKS JUST AS BAD AS THE CITY COMMISSION. COUNTY WANTS TO WASTE MONEY ON A PROJECT WE THE PEOPLE HAVE SAID NO TO!!!!!! IT IS JUST LIKE THE CITY COMMISSION AND THE BAD IDEA ABOUT A RIVERWALK!!! THAT WE THE PEOPLE HAVE SAID "NO" TOO!!! COME ON COMMISSIONERS BOTH CITY AND COUNTY, CONCENTRATE ON COMMON SENSE PROJECTS AND QUICK WASTING OUR MONEY ON YOUR OWN PET PROJECTS!!!!!!
jimdingo
Friday 17 February 2012 12:29 Report this comment
The time and money could be better spent finding business that would want to come to Salina and Saline County. The effort spent trying to draw new business to this area is anemic at best. You have to give a little something to get a return on your investment.
terrylc
Friday 17 February 2012 17:42 Report this comment
Good thing Salina eliminated hunger and homelessness, and now has lots of money to blow on this "study". Too bad Salina doesn't have any elected officials, if Salina did have elected officials then it would be *their* job to do a thorough investigation before even *thinking* about wasting so much money.
Iamgonnagetu
Friday 17 February 2012 19:33 Report this comment
Number one people living in the city should have no say on this. This is a county matter. Those of us that live in the county have harassment to pay for all the crap that the city has wasted money on for years. Those of you that compare the Bi-Center with this are so far off base it is unbelievable. The Bi-Center is a city deal. Your city commissioners are in charge
Iamgonnagetu
Friday 17 February 2012 19:43 Report this comment
Those of us that live in the county do not get to vote for city commissioners but we have to foot the bill for these dummies mistakes. The counties facilities are used just about every week all year round. The facilities are bad and need replaced. So those of you griping about the cost need to suck it up. Us county people are paying for your art projects, your pool and your bicenter plus your fox stiffel. We want our facility so back off.
GETALIFE674
Saturday 18 February 2012 00:24 Report this comment
RIGHT ON BRO I TO LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY LIMITS AND HAD TO PUT UP WITH ALL THESE SO CALLED CITY COMMISSSIONERS WHOSE ONLY INTEREST IS TO FATTEN THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS. THEY TELL THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR THEN GET ELECTED AND THE NEXT THING DOING THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY TOLD US. LOOKS LIKE THE NEW ONES ARE DOING THE SAME. ONCE AND FOR ALL PEOPLE THE BI-CENTER AND THE COUNTY EXPO CENTER ARE TWO DIFFERENT ENTITIES. THE BI-CENTER IS RUN BY THE CITY WHICH HAS DONE A POOR JOB OF RUNNING IT. THEY PAID SOME YO YO BIG BUCKS WHO DID NOTHING THEN WHEN THE HEAT STARTED COMING ON HE TOOK OFF. GOT TO ALSO GIVE THE CITY MANAGER CREDIT FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO MANAGE.
GETALIFE674
Saturday 18 February 2012 00:31 Report this comment
NOW ONCE AGAIN ITS IN LIMBO. I AGREE ALSO THE CITY VOTERS SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO VOTE ON COUNTY BUSINESS AS COUNTY PEOPLE CANNOT VOTE ON CITY BUSINESS. WHOEVER SET THIS UP PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE THE BI-CENTER ARENA NAMED AFTER THEM. A NEW EXPO CENTER IS NEEDED THE OLD ONE HAS SERVED ITS TIME AND LETS FACE IT THE CITY WANTS TO BUILD ANOTHER MOTEL WHICH IF BEN FRICK LIVES LONG ENOUGHT HE WILL ONE DAY ALSO OWN IT. THE COUNTY PROPERTY WHILE MIS- MANAGED ALSO AT LEAST IS RENTED ABOUT EVERY WEEK. IF THEY BUILD ONE THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WOULD BE TO GET RID OF PHIL PENN AND SOME OF THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES THAT CURRENTLY WORK OVER AT KENWOOD HALL. TIRED OF PAYING THEM TO GO TO AUCTIONS OR SPENDING THERE TIME WHILE AUCTION PERSONNEL SET UP. THIS IS A COUNTY THING AND A NEW FACILITY SHOULD BE BUILT.
Viper
Saturday 18 February 2012 00:45 Report this comment
i DONT CARE WHAT HAPPENS AS LONG AS i DONT HAVE TO PAY ANYMORE TAXES TO HAVE IT BUILT.
getumgranny
Saturday 18 February 2012 04:36 Report this comment
I guess I'm more frustrated with the City/County Commissioners---ALL OF THEM!! You guys have a very valid point on this, I just wish the idiots that are running the City/County operations would start working together for the community instead of the damn pissing contest they are always having!! You are SO RIGHT about the Bi-center mismanagement!! It has been horribly managed almost since they built the damn thing!! It would really be nice to see the big boys play nice together for a change and do something constructive our community can get some use out of, instead of a bunch of art we don't need and other B.S.
getumgranny
Saturday 18 February 2012 04:41 Report this comment
I just do not think our community can support this economically right now. jimdingo: You are right, maybe we can at least get an Olive Garden out of the deal!! Does anyone know what the restaurant in front of Kohls is going to be? I'm sure I heard but forgot :)
GETALIFE674
Monday 20 February 2012 02:07 Report this comment
LONGHORN STEAK HOUSE. ALOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO COMBINE COMMISSIONS BUT DO NOT REALIZE IF THAT IS DONE THERE WILL BE NO MORE CITY COMMISSION. THE COUNTY WILL TAKE OVER EVERYTHING AND WITH THE INCOMPENTENT COMMISSIONERS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW FROM A PENCIL SALESMAN TO A RETIRED ENGINEER AND THEN AN ATTORNEY WHAT WORST COMBINATION CAN YOU HAVE. THE PRESENT CITY COMMISSION IS NOT MUCH BETTER WITH THEM RENAMING OF THE BASKETBALL COURT FOR SOME HIGH SCHOOL KID WHO DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR SALINA AFTER LEAVING FOR COLLEGE JUST BECAUSE 2 JERKS WANTED IT, THEN TO PUTTING OFF LEAVING THINGS AS THEY ARE WITH THIS GAY ISSUE. REMEMBER WE ALL ELECTED THESE PEOPLE, WELL US COUNTY FOLKS HAD NO SAY IN THE CITY COMMISSION WHICH I FEEL IS DISCRIMINATION BUT NOW WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH THEM.