Former Rapid City mayors are debating a plan put forth by the city to expand the civic center complex.
Hundreds of city residents packed a convention hall at the Ramkota Tuesday night for the debate ahead of a vote to build a new arena.
It’s being called the largest project in Rapid City history… to build a new arena at the Rapid City Civic Center complex. The Department of Justice requires the city to bring the 40-year-old Barnett Area up to Americans with disabilities act compliance.
The city estimates the compliance cost is around $30 million.
That’s why the city hopes to build a new arena at around $180 million, which includes interest. But a group of former Rapid City mayors say there’s a cheaper option in remodeling the Barnett Arena.
Former-Mayor Alan Hanks says the plan they are re-presenting has been around for two decades…
“All of us former mayors have looked at different versions of it throughout our terms in office,” Hanks says. “What it is is taking the current Barnett Arena, expanding it out to the north, blowing the back wall out, expanding the seating, expanding the floor, raising the roof on the new part of the arena, not the old, so you can have the height for the shows that come it, it moves the stage back farther, and we can accomplish that for less than half the price of what the city is proposing.”
The panel of former mayors say they’ve consulted with several general contractors, who says that would cost around $50 million to accomplish. They declined to name the general contractor.
Current-Mayor Steve Allender calls it the most expensive band-aid option so far.
“What promoter is going to want to sell a $150 ticket to a fan who is going to be 100-yards away from the stage in a small venue like Rapid City, South Dakota?” Allender says. “It is undoable. I won’t support it. I will never bring it forward for consideration to the council because we have investigated this. It is absolutely not a good plan and it cannot be justified.
Allender says Plan C would cost at least doubt what former mayors are claiming it will cost. Allender says he is meeting with general contractor Mortenson Construction and architecture firm Perkins and Will on a weekly basis.
Rapid City voters will decide on June 5th whether the city moves forward on a new arena project. If voter reject a new arena, Allender says he’ll start plans for making the Barnett ADA compliant.