Event/fitness center up for bids

The Kimball Event Center has been a topic of concern since the City of Kimball’s 2016-17 budget process began. With a decrease in sales tax of more than $40,000, the City had some tough choices to make, including whether to continue subsidizing the Kimball Event and Kimball Fitness Centers.

However, after hearing impassioned pleas from community members during that process, a group of volunteers took up the mantle to make the venue as successful as possible within a tight budget.

Amy Sapp, City of Kimball Special Projects Coordinator, addressed the Kimball City Council during a special council meeting called on Tuesday, Nov. 8, regarding the changes necessary to begin salvaging the building and the business.

Updates were made to the rental application and agreement to allow for more data collection and improved financial planning, according to Sapp.

“This is going to allow us to gain better information about the customers, about their events, set up and take down time and a better understanding of which fees are waived by the City and which aren’t,” Sapp said.

There is an area for office use only that provides a checklist of sorts for each event including a check box to ensure that thank you notes and emails are sent following an event.

“We would like to start turning in a report after each event to kind of itemize the success of each event,” she added.

Additionally, equipment upgrades were needed.

“We did not have cash registers over at the Event Center,” Sapp reported. “So when money was turned in we did not have itemized receipts of bar sales or concession sales. We do have a credit card machine over there.”

Though a credit card machine was available at the Event Center, there was just $175.00 in charges that went through it.

“We feel there have been some lost liquor sales probably for those that pay with a credit card rather than cash at the bar events,” she added.

Marketing techniques has also been implemented including a Facebook page to assist with informing the public of upcoming events.

The Event Center also has a mock webpage that will appeal to the masses and potentially will entice citizens, companies and organization to rent space when needed. Other marketing strategies in the works include visually appealing pricing and menus.

“We would like to change some of the pricing, depending on what we decide tonight,” Sapp said. “I think we can do some hourly rates to get people to use the rooms for meetings. Possibly offering discounts if it is used Monday through Thursday, to get people in there for meetings and such.”

Volunteers cleaned and organized the preparation area and pantry with plans to tackle the kitchen soon. Still more volunteers repainted the Meadowlark Room with updated colors and replaced outdated light fixtures with modern fixtures donated by the Warner family. A similar committee has planned to do similar work in the attached Fitness Center.

City staff also changed out damaged ceiling tiles and burned out light fixtures. Volunteers continue to work on the facility as well as fund raising ideas.

“After only two committee meetings and some reorganization of some responsibilities, we have made progress. The reorganization of responsibilities has made a vast improvement in accountability and financial awareness,” council member Christy Warner said. “It has fixed some of the long term citizen complaints that we have received and we have received additional reservations which we can’t confirm until a decision is made – after the new year. We have also received some interest in privatizing the Event Center. Therefore, the recommendation is that we continue to keep the Event and Fitness Centers up and running within the approved budget while putting it out for bids to purchase and provide similar services and a minimum of $10,000.”

The current budget, according to Warner, is $20,000 from the general fund in addition to $60,000 from room rental and a Nebraska Department of Economic Development grant specifically for civic and community centers in the amount of $125,000.

Warner continued that if the potential buyer does not wish to purchase the Fitness Center with the Event Center, the purchase money would be earmarked to continue running the Fitness Center at a new location.

Mayor Keith Prunty argued that stipulating like services may tremendously limit interest in purchasing the facility as it is currently zoned C2, allowing for manufacturing as well.

“There is one interested buyer for the place already, that expressed interest and there might be another one,” Prunty said. “There is mention of a firm that might want to come up and employee up to ten people.”

Prunty added that while this is not a foregone decision, limiting the use of the facility to a community, event or recreation center would kill that company’s interest in the property.

“In the best service to the community, they have asked us to keep the business running, to provide those services. I think that we should require that they continue similar services,” Warner countered. “I want to remind you that we have been talking about closing this event center for the last six months. Our recommendation is based on the citizens’ request for those services to continue. While the City doesn’t necessarily want to run an Event Center, we would love to have it privatized and at the same time continue to serve our citizens.”

The council unanimously voted to open the Event Center up for bids with a minimum bid requirement of $10,000 as well as a stipulation that similar services be provided. Additionally, the City maintains the right to refuse any and all bids.

Furthermore, the Kimball Event Center will continue operating within the current budget for this fiscal year or until it is purchased. The City Administrator, currently the acting City Administrator, has been given the authority to make decisions regarding the facility, except for capital purchases.

For more information about volunteering, reserving a space or submitting a bid to purchase the facility, call the City of Kimball at 308-235-3639.