Garrett Coliseum 'bleeding to death'
By Jill Nolin
[email protected]
State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks is calling on the state Legislature to either give him more funding for Garrett Coliseum or allow him to create his own stream of revenue.
Sparks said renovating the aging building, which was opened in 1951 with a Hank Williams performance, is at the top of his list of priorities.
"If I had the ability to create a revenue stream, I'd create it," Sparks said Friday. "We have a facility out there that is absolutely bleeding to death and is on a respirator."
Garrett Coliseum, on the north side of Montgomery, is hailed as the Alabama agricultural center but Sparks said it has been largely neglected. He added that instead of helping, the state Legislature has cut the budget for the facility.
"We are losing shows in Montgomery," Sparks said. "People don't want to bring their animals to Montgomery, Alabama, with the condition of the stalls and the condition of the facility. We're so far behind Georgia and Mississippi it's embarrassing."
Sparks said the current livestock stalls are in such poor condition that animals are at risk of being injured -- and some have been.
The stalls need to be cleaned and renovated, he said.
He also said a multipurpose building is also needed to be competitive for livestock shows and that it's something that could complement the new convention center in downtown Montgomery.
On top of that, Sparks said the whole 31,000-square-foot facility, which has seating for 13,500 people, needs a complete face lift. But he's not likely to get any new funding from the Legislature this year. State Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, said that budget shortfall would not allow the Legislature to use any General Fund dollars for such a project. Holmes said he would be in favor of giving Sparks the authority to generate new revenue. "At this time, due to the shortage in the budget, that would be the appropriate way to go," Holmes said Friday. "I would be against taking any money from the general fund until we have met the needs of the Medicaid program." Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright said Friday that Garrett Coliseum had an important economic impact on the city of Montgomery, with shows and events bringing people to the Capital City. Although he said he would not be in favor of providing financial support for the project, he said he would be willing to contribute in-kind work. Bright said the financial responsibility should fall on the state Legislature. Sparks said that he has tried to make improvements with his current funding but has not gotten anywhere. "I've invested thousands of dollars down there and it doesn't look like you've done anything," he said. A multipurpose building would also allow the coliseum to hold several shows at once, Sparks said. Right now, the facility can accommodate only one show at a time.
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cough-cough...
) so any publicity and action can only help him in the long run...
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