Riley Ice Arena to be included in site evaluation
RUFFIN PREVOST The Billings Gazette | Posted: Monday, January 12, 2009 12:00 am
CODY (LEE) - Members of a committee studying options for a proposed event center said last week that they will try to raise private funding for a study that will evaluate up to four possible locations.
"I know there has been an economic downturn, but at the same time, I see an event center as a potential economic opportunity," said Sam Krone, Cody City Council president and chairman of the event center committee.
Krone said the group had been meeting since March 2007, and had already finished a $31,000 economic feasibility study that was completed with $21,000 in private funding.
JGA Architects of Billings estimated last year that it would cost about $15,000 to conduct an evaluation of three potential sites - the Cody Auditorium, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and the Cody Stampede rodeo grounds.
Krone said the committee should "build on the work we have done already and move forward with a site study and have it entirely privately funded."
Irma Hotel owner John Darby said that about $7,000 had been pledged last year toward the site study, and that additional funds could be raised to cover the full cost.
At the urging of retired banker Victor Riley, a board member and financial backer of the Riley Ice Arena, committee members said that they would also consider including that venue in the site study.
"I think the idea is just to look into what the possibilities are," said arena manager Kevin Smith. Riley was out of town and could not be reached for comment.
Built as a dual-purpose ice skating facility and convention hall but now used mostly for hockey, the arena has 24,000 square feet of exhibit space. Some committee members have said it is not large enough for some annual events, including a home and garden show and sportsmen's banquet.
Smith said it would be possible to cover the ice with protective pads to allow exhibits between hockey games, and added that an overflow parking lot on the north side of the building could provide space for building expansion.
Meeting rooms at the nearby Park County Complex could be used with the arena to offer a flexible combination of event facilities, he said.
The arena was built at a cost of $3.8 million, of which about $1 million remains to be repaid to lenders, Smith said.
Committee members said they plan to meet with Riley before their next meeting at 11 a.m. on Feb. 10 at City Hall.
Bruce Eldredge, executive director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, said that despite a grim national economic outlook, it made sense to continue studying potential sites and estimating costs for an event center.
An event center might be a good candidate for federal funds that could become available as part of possible economic stimulus spending on public infrastructure projects, he said.
Cody City Council member Charles Cloud said he had heard from constituents who were concerned about the ongoing operating costs for an event center. Cloud said he encouraged using only private funds for a site study.
Such a study would evaluate sites on several criteria and would offer a preliminary cost estimate for building on each site, said City Administrator Andy Whiteman.
Krone said the study would be contracted through the city, with the City Council acting as the client, and paid for with private funds donated by local businesses and individuals.