Enid city commissioners Tuesday approved a proposal that would provide for $40 million worth of downtown improvements, including building a new event center.
Commissioners voted unanimously to call a special election Aug. 24 for a $20 million bond issue to start the development. The plan would require a simple majority vote to be approved.
If the issue is approved, the city will match $20 million in bond money with another $20 million to create a $40 million project to revitalize downtown. The bond issue would pay for renovating Convention Hall and Mark Price Arena, building a new event center and renovating the Cherokee Strip Conference Center.
With that work and other work, including an open park space extending south to Garriott, City Manager Eric Benson said a downtown hotel could be attracted to complement the new developments. The plan is the culmination of a two-year study that involved Global Spectrum, the company hired by the city to operate the conference center; Rob Hundren, a professional business analyst; and David Geusel, an architect, designer and planner.
Discussions also involved more than 20 representatives of the public and business community.
A recent public opinion poll showed 77 percent of respondents favored keeping Mark Price Arena, located in Convention Hall. The facility has been closed because it requires renovations to bring it into compliance with Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.
The idea for renovating Mark Price Arena is to create a place where Enid Public Schools can center its athletic activities and also for the city to generate additional revenue. Geusel said a major design flaw in the building is the event floor is too small. His proposal is to eliminate the lower level of seating so two basketball floors could be constructed as a benefit to the school system. Also, the stage could be used for other events and the front portion of the building would be worked into offices, team rooms and other uses.
School officials are supportive of the project and will contribute financially once they begin to occupy the building. EPS Superintendent Shawn Hime was a member of the committee that created the plan.
The price tag for renovating Mark Price Arena is estimated at $5.5 million.
The proposal also calls for construction of a 75,000-square-foot event center adjacent to Cherokee Strip Conference Center. The event center would seat about 4,500 people and would be the home of Enid High School’s varsity basketball teams. The event center also would house a variety of venues, and the chair-back seating would telescope back into the walls to create space. The basketball floor would be temporary and could be removed to create space for other events.
Cherokee Strip Conference Center would be expanded and renovated so it creates a true convention center when coupled with the event center, Geusel said. The Pioneer Room in the conference center would be revamped into an 11,000-square-foot ballroom.
The bond issue would be a 20-year bond, at a maximum of 5 mills. One mill is equal to 1/1,000th of a dollar, meaning one mill would raise $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable valuation.
In addition to the buildings, a gateway to the downtown area would be created from Garriott, north to Maple, along both Grand and Independence. Part of that area would be a civic space, where a temporary stage could be erected for concerts or other outdoor performances. It also would contain parking for the event center.
“If the voters approve half, we have the money to do the rest,” Benson said.
The city has capital assets, including $13 million in water bond savings that will become available next year, to add $20 million to the bond issue, he said.
That money would be used for land acquisition, street work, lighting and other changes along with building a gateway entrance area at the intersections of Garriott and Grand and Independence.
Geusel said the renovations will bring about new businesses, which will want to come into the area and fill in now-vacant areas. Benson said the feasibility study showed the project could bring as many as 300,000 people to Enid annually for various events.
“We’re developing a $40 million economic package. No other city in the state has done this,” Benson said.
The additional people will bring about an estimated $35 million in annual sales tax growth, he said. Benson said the city has two revenue sources, utilities and sales tax. The goal of the downtown development is to create growth in sales tax that will help the city grow.
If the issue passes, city officials want to start construction by next spring and complete the work in about two years.
Three commissioners have led the way in the effort: Don Rose, Todd Ging and Drew Ritchie. Commissioners heard a report on the proposal in their study session, and again during a public presentation in the regular commission meeting.