2 companies bid to do study of War Memorial Stadium

Companies based in Texas and Utah have submitted proposals to conduct a feasibility study on the future of War Memorial Stadium for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Conventions, Sports & Leisure International, based in Plano, Texas, and Victus Advisors LLC, based in Park City, Utah, submitted bids to the Office of State Procurement by the submission deadline of 2 p.m. Friday, according to state records.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson wants the Legislature to move the free-standing War Memorial Stadium Commission to under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Tourism Department in what he has called "a natural fit."

Hutchinson spokesman J.R. Davis said Friday that the governor plans to propose legislation to enact this merger, "but the details aren't complete," when asked who would sponsor the bill and whether it would include mergers of other agencies.

The Republican governor has pledged to use his discretionary funds for the feasibility study by a nationally recognized stadium consultant to make recommendations on needs and opportunities for the structure, which opened in 1948 in Little Rock. How much the study will cost hasn't been determined yet, said Jake Bleed, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration.

Hutchinson proposed cutting general-revenue funding for the stadium from $895,171 in fiscal 2018, which starts July 1, to $447,647 in fiscal 2019, which starts July 1, 2018. In this fiscal year, 2017, the stadium was allocated $889,085 in general revenue.

Conventions, Sports & Leisure International is a leading advisory and planning firm specializing in providing consulting services to the convention, sport, entertainment and visitor industries, according to its website.

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The company's clients have included Cowboys Stadium, now AT&T Stadium, in Texas; the Georgia Dome in Atlanta; Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans; Baylor Stadium in Texas; Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.; Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.; and Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas, according to its website.

Victus Advisors LLC provides objective research, analysis and planning services within the sports, entertainment and recreation industries, according to its website.

The firm's recent clients include Army's Michie Stadium; Aloha Stadium in Honolulu; University of North Florida Arena; Syracuse University's Carrier Dome; Brooklyn Nets' Barclays Center; and University of Illinois at Chicago's Pavilion, according to the company's website.

The request for proposals issued by the Office of State Procurement says the bidders must have at least five years of experience producing business feasibility studies for stadiums with a minimum seating of 50,000 located in a region comparable in size and population to central Arkansas and have experience dealing with governmental agencies.

The successful bidder will be required to perform an assessment of the current business model and identify potential revenue sources, grants and fundraising strategies. In addition, the winning bidder will have to conduct research and analysis to include all feasibility-study requirements, and produce a written report of all findings and recommendations.

The recommendations are required to include "modification of existing facilities and services intended to improve the value of current operations" and "future economic viability and stability of the stadium." The successful bidder will have to issue a final report to the Parks and Tourism Department no later than six months after the contract is awarded.

The Parks and Tourism Department has a budget of about $150 million with about 760 full-time employees, while the War Memorial Stadium Commission has a budget of about $2.8 million and six employees, state officials have said.

In October, Hutchinson said he has enjoyed the stadium for more than three decades, "his commitment to War Memorial Stadium has never wavered," and he wants to start to put the stadium "on a path to self-sufficiency." It's reasonable to reduce funding in fiscal 2019 with the commission's bond payments over, he said.

That came after Commission Chairman Kevin Crass warned lawmakers that with the proposed cuts, the stadium would have budget deficits of about $300,000 each in fiscal years 2019-21. He noted the stadium won't be paid the $475,000 by the University of Arkansas in fiscal years 2018-19 even though the Razorback football team is committed to play games in the fall of 2017 and 2018.

Metro on 01/21/2017

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