New State Fair Coliseum

[Dob Hooligan]

Larry, Im shocked you of all people are defending the state fare board. BTW - I never said we don't need to coluseum and we've heard ad nauseum how the fairgrounds brings economic this or that to the city. So. ... why are they not funding their projects? They initially said MAPS would fund only PART of the grand new arena, now - its the ONLY funding source and therefore has been downsized from what was originally pitched in the MAPS campaign.

This is what I'm talking about. They keep showing up for handouts yet have a dedicated funding source and still keep asking MAPS to find capital projects. Imagine if the OKC Zoo, also has a guaranteed revenue stream, if they asked for MAPS money to fully fund their new Africa exhibit. Wouldn't that invite scrutiny into how the zoo is run? Imagine if WRWA asked for MAPS funds to build the new terminal? In fact, I'd vote yes if they did - but WRWA is a funded entity so they build their OWN facilities for the most part and the new terminal received no MAPS funds.

And look at the fairgrounds. With a dedicated funding source and as such an economic generator - they can't modernize the parking nor can they even upkeep the grounds; let alone execute a state fair worthy of what we used to have when you and I were 30 years younger. They are a disappointment, yet nobody seems to care that they continually dip into the MAPS Pork Barrel.

And no, the pork in the barrel comes from the OKC taxpayers (and sales tax paying visitors) not from the horse industry. sorry.

The State Fair Board of Directors is comprised of 40 volunteer members. With people such as Ron Norick, Kirk Humphreys, Clay Bennett, David Rainbolt, Larry Nichols, etc. it reads like a veritable Who’s Who of central Oklahoma leadership. It is not a crooked, pork-barrel organization that operates in the dark.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^
Thank you. Also, there is so much misunderstanding here regarding the economic impact generated by the fairgrounds. Very little of it is direct income to the fairgrounds itself; it is sales and room tax spent citywide by people frequenting fairgrounds events.

In fairness, a significant portion of the city’s room tax (paid by visitors, NOT by locals) DOES go to the fairgrounds, but frankly the massive citywide economic impact justifies that AND other investments such as MAPS funding. It’s similar to state film credits or historic preservation tax credits; if you can demonstrate 2x, 5x, 10x ROI for every public dollar spent, why WOULDN’T you be looking to invest even more?

That said, I totally get the complaints that the fairgrounds seems to occasionally edge out other worthy projects at the feeding trough, likely owing to the influence of its board. But I DO get why they push so hard. It’s one of the few public investments from which the City sees general tax revenue ROI that can in turn help fund everything else.

[shawnw]

I would be with you on this completely IF they had also been good stewards of what WAS a pretty cool fairgrounds all things considered.

Let's take the canal as a for instance. I'm highly in favor of maintaining it, extending it, enhancing it. With minor exception it has been reasonably well kept up, so I don't mind putting more money into it. However, if it had been allowed to rot until the original span got so bad that it was just closed, but then more money was requested for an extension, I would be like, um, no. This is at the core of my beef. The fairgrounds is losing its luster as a PLACE for PEOPLE. I get and appreciate the economic engine our horse shows are, and DO want to maintain that, but not at the cost of its viability as a place for people. If we can't get that through our skulls perhaps we don't deserve the horse shows either.

Ask yourself, why wasn't the fairgrounds a place we took CNU attendees? Why couldn't it have been?

[Laramie]

Ask yourself, why wasn't the fairgrounds a place we took CNU attendees? Why couldn't it have been?

Excuse me, what are CNU attendees...

[shawnw]

There was a conference here in March with more than a thousand attendees, the Congress for New Urbanism. They were taken on a dozen different tours and not one was the fairgrounds.

[Laramie]

CNU = Congress of New Urbanism. Thanks, Shawnw

There are plenty of places in Oklahoma City to entertain the CNU:

Bricktown
First Americans Museum (FAM)
Frontier City Amusement Park
Museum of Osteology
Myriad Botanical Gardens
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Oklahoma City National Memorial
Oklahoma City Zoo
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
Science Museum Oklahoma (Omniplex)

The fairground despite its importance to OKC isn't considered a tourist attraction.

[shawnw]

The conference had zero to do with tourism. It was about how we build our environments.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^
Meh, I have become resigned to the idea that the state fair as we remember it is only a warm, fuzzy memory and that this location now mainly serves as an expo center and economic driver. I too am bummed that the elements we used to love about the fairgrounds are gone, but they simply are. I don't think that what is left in its place requires an urbanist or placemaking approach, and I am saying this as an avowed urbanist.

It is what it is. And what it is absolutely PRINTS money to pay for the rest of the things we care about as citizens.

[HOT ROD]

Guys, I k now that;s a list of who's who in OKC leading the fairgrounds trust, but the trust itself is not held to any accountability. You can't just say - well it's run by people we trust but yet there's no transparency in the organization itself, which is what we ahve today. And you also can't deny that they continually show up for MAPS with their pet projects (nothing inherently wrong with that actually) that are usually grand and include PARTIAL funding from MAPS; yet in reality get downsized AFTER the election so that MAPS becomes the main if not complete funding source.

I'm all for the fairgrounds to be part of maps, they are part of the OKC community and are an economic engine. But the fairgrounds has a dedicated funding source that other agencies do not. And the fairgrounds is not held to account like other agencies. And given their track record of bait and switch, these are the reasons why I call their actions Pork Barrel and shady, not so much for the people appointed to the trust but moreso for the leadership RUNNING the trust getting away with this time and time.

I wish WRWA would show up for MAPS - I'd love the full build-out of the E terminal and modernization of the rest of the central and West concourses for example; but they wont because they are properly run with the funding sources they have and implement projects as they are needed. I don't see why the fairgrounds, which gets MORE $$ from it's dedicated sources, can't be as fiscally responsible or at least disclose they they are not quite the revenue generator they claim to be.

[GaryOKC6]

March fairgrounds events generate $30.1M economic impact

By: Journal Record Staff April 12, 2022 0

The Oklahoma state high school basketball championships brought about 55,000 fans to the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds in March and generated an estimated $11.89 million in direct spending to benefit the local economy, organizers say. (Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

OKLAHOMA CITY (JR) – High school students and activities that played out at the OKC Fairgrounds in March generated millions of dollars in direct spending to benefit the local economy, fairgrounds officials reported this week.

Two events, especially, brought visitors and money to Oklahoma City from outside the area.

The Oklahoma state high school basketball championships, staged in the Jim Norick Arena at the fairgrounds March 3-12, attracted more than 55,000 fans. While officials reported 15% of them were from Oklahoma City or surrounding suburbs, 85% traveled to the city from other parts of the state.

According to a release, money spent by families of athletes and other fans had an estimated impact of $11.89 million on the metro economy.

The other event, which ran partially at the same time as the basketball tournament, was the Oklahoma Youth Expo. It attracted some 57,000 people to the Norick Arena and Barn Row March 8-18.

“This year, 212 exhibitors secured slots in the Sale of Champions. Additionally, a record-breaking $1.5 million was raised through the auction including the Grand Champion steer selling for over $100,000,” event organizers said in the release.

Some 65% of people who attended the Youth Expo arrived in Oklahoma City from out-of-town, while 35% were locals. The event generated more than $10.33 million in direct spending into the Oklahoma City economy.

The OKC Fairgrounds hosted a total of 13 events in March. Others included the OKC Auto Show, the Backwoods Hunting & Fishing Expo, the Repticon Reptile & Exotic Animal Convention, the OKC Home & Outdoor Living Show, and the Shrine Circus, among others.

In all, 192,122 event attendees were counted during the month of March. It’s believed that events generated more than $30.1 million in direct spending to benefit the Oklahoma City economy.

[Laramie]

Good article from The Journal Record. Thanks for sharing GaryOKC6.

BTW, If you can't trust the State Fair Board Trust, then tell me who can you trust. Doubt if any of the members of the SFB Trust have any hidden agendas. Hope we can put this trusting the Trust to bed without any more MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

[Miracle121]

Who is on the state fair board? Why not have open meetings

[Miracle121]

We need a larger arena with seating for at least 8,000. The arena needs to be a multipurpose facility(not just a horse barn). Ice making equipment should be installed to accommodate ECHL hockey.

[Pete]

They have started some utility work to the south of the new arena site:

[shawnw]

On the daily KOSU podcast this morning they said costs have increased to over 100M.

There's also an Oklahoman article I just noticed with similar information, noting construction starts this fall, completes in 2024.

[chssooner]

On the daily KOSU podcast this morning they said costs have increased to over 100M.

There's also an Oklahoman article I just noticed with similar information, noting construction starts this fall, completes in 2024.

Not surprising, since the cost of everything has increase astronomically the last year.

[Pete]

The final plans are in the process of being approved and are exactly as I last posted.

So, the rising costs won't change what gets built.

[HOT ROD]

you mean not surprising since the city is paying for nearly all of this with MAPS 4 expedited funding and as Pete said, wont change what gets built (likely might even still get engineered downsized as a result of the "approvals", in the over-promise under-deliver game play).

[Laramie]

The final plans are in the process of being approved and are exactly as I last posted.

So, the rising costs won't change what gets built.

[bombermwc]

As i've said from the start of this, i fail to see how this is really an improvement from the current arena. Or see the point.

[catcherinthewry]

As i've said from the start of this, i fail to see how this is really an improvement from the current arena. Or see the point.

When was the last time you were in the arena? It is a dump. There are hundreds of broken or removed seats.

[Laramie]

When was the last time you were in the arena? It is a dump. There are hundreds of broken or removed seats.

You're correct.

The new arena will keep those events in OKC and satisfy the needs of the horse shows and related events. We don't need anything on the level of a $540,000 million Dixies' Arena.

Many are concerned about the various state basketball tournaments, those events are more of a headache for the city than people realize. What little economic impact and income generated by those events are eaten up by the amount of police protection (including overtime pay) and cleanup (hiring temporary labor firms) the city has to provide for crowd control--they aren't worth it.

The City doesn't want those events.

[Zuplar]

When was the last time you were in the arena? It is a dump. There are hundreds of broken or removed seats.

Totally. They could rebuild it to the exact specs and just the fact that it's new would be an improvement.

This is more than needed.

[shawnw]

As i've said from the start of this, i fail to see how this is really an improvement from the current arena. Or see the point.

especially for 100M+

[BoulderSooner]

Totally. They could rebuild it to the exact specs and just the fact that it's new would be an improvement.

This is more than needed.

this is 100% correct