Unanimous vote puts arena cover in motion

Curry County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to request bids for a plan to erect a building over the rodeo arena at the fairgrounds as an economical way of building a county special events center.

Several county residents at the meeting raised questions about the proposal, but commissioners said — if the bids are close to estimates — it offers the best chance for building an events center the cash-strapped county can afford.

Commissioners Albin Smith and Pete Hulder told the audience the plan is to erect a metal building over the current arena and widen the arena floor by pushing back the bleachers. The resulting structure would have a 270-by-150-foot arena floor. It would have new concession stands and a new kitchen outside the building, upgraded, ADA-compliant restrooms, indoor cooling and heating, roll-up doors and a sprinkler system, they said.

Hulder said county maintenance supervisor Lee Delk has called local suppliers for estimates. Even with a contingency fund of 20 percent, Delk figures all the work on the building can be completed for about $2.68 million. The county has $3 million available from a tax increase approved by voters in 2001, he said.

Hulder said the county has additional funds — $750,000 from the city and $200,000 from the state — that it eventually could use to build recreational vehicle parking and horse stalls.

Commissioner Tim Ashley pointed out how the county proceeds on the proposal will depend on the results of the bids it solicits.

County resident Wilma Fulgham asked the commission to reconsider the plan. She asked why the county couldn’t build the metal-building special events center on the west side of the fairgrounds that was first proposed in 2001, asked if commissioners had given further consideration to a business plan presented by Global Entertainment, and said covering the rodeo arena has been considered before and found to be economically unfeasible.

Gloria Wicker told the commission horse stalls are needed with any new facility at the fairground and suggested planting rows of trees between the events center and the railroad to buffer sound.

Bonnie Wright said if the junior rodeo is required to pay to use an arena its revenue won’t cover its expenses.

Lionel Gilbert asked commissioners if they planned to build a new outdoor arena when they cover the current one. He and Jarod Wilhite asked why the county couldn’t get hard numbers for a metal special events center, as well as for covering the arena.

Smith said there are plans to build an outdoor warm up arena.

Commissioner Ed Perales told Gilbert the architectural firm Bullock-Smith had called local suppliers when figuring the estimate for its proposal to the county. The amount had been about $6 million, twice the amount the county had on hand, he said.

In other business, the commission tabled a plan to build an annex for the county’s adult detention center, saying Gov. Bill Richardson had vetoed $250,000 slated for the project and bids opened last week were far higher than the county can afford.

Of the two companies that bid on the annex — both of Clovis — Wilson and Wilson bid $1,425,000 and LCI 2 Inc. bid $1,174,813, said County Manager Geneva Cooper.

But the commissioners urged that the county continue trying to find a way to fund the construction, because of the financial pressure on the county of paying to house prisoners elsewhere.

Hulder said it is costing the county $114,000 a month, or about $1.4 million a year, just to send prisoners to Dickens County, Texas.

Also, the commission approved a compromise version of a resolution encouraging water conservation in the county proposed by the city of Clovis’ water policy advisory board.