An interesting story — the city evicting the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame — developed while I was on vacation. Saving the Hall has a simple solution: ticket surcharges.
It’s not an original idea. In fact, a surcharge bill was introduced in the House in 2007.
That bill, however, would have surcharged one men’s and one women’s varsity event at universities ($2 surcharge), junior colleges ($1) and high schools (50 cents). Understandably, that didn’t pass. Too convoluted.
My solution is much more simple. Add 50 cents to every ticket sold in football and basketball at Kansas and Kansas State. At Wichita State, baseball would replace football.
By my calculations — which are very rough but also quite conservative — there are more than 1 million tickets sold per year to those events. The surcharge would raise $500,000 for the hall, which has an annual budget between $450,000 and $600,000. Even a surcharge of 25 cents would raise about half of the hall’s annual budget. If the hall can’t make up the difference through fund-raising, then close it.
So what’s wrong with this plan? Anyone care to argue?
28 Comments
I’d like to see Bob Hanson find people who support his museum to support it. Sell 5000 memberships at $100 per and that will also cover it.
Or split the money made on the 50 cent ticket surcharge among the various museums in Wichita on the basis of attendance. As a Kansas history buff that would help museums I am interested in.
How about putting a condensed version of the museum in the new Intrust Arena? Surely there’d be enough people who would want to visit and pay a nominal fee to defray housing costs, maintenance, etc.?
Robert … I was thinking of that as well, but I’m sure that is something that would have had to have been thought of prior to the arena design.
BTH … You also have a good idea, although I think it would still be easier to raise it 25 or 50 cents at a time.
And JWink … I can’t say I agree with you. I’m not sure what a ticket surcharge at a sporting event would have to do with, say, Cowtown. I think it would be hard enough to convince people in Lawrence sports fans to support a state-sanctioned sports museum in Wichita.
Put the Kansas sports Hall of Fame in the salt mine at Hutch. Kill 2 birds with one stone – they’re having a difficult time attracting visitors and it’s already fully staffed.
Being just a bit more serious, the clear solution to me, anyway, is to incorporate the exhibit into another existing museum to defray expenses. It is not viable as a stand alone entity and I am absolutely not in favor of paying surcharges on anything to fund something like that.
Not even a quarter Jerry? I’m talking two bits.
Sorry but I’m still stinging over that buck increase on my water bill due to too much rain
Don – NO. My point is that those who believe the KSHOF is worthy of support can support it. Just like I do with my membership to the Zoo. Don’t tax the rest of us.
Onlu two bits? How about a 2 bit tax on tickets to buy me a new house?
This issue and Bob Lutz’ column today about next summer’s 75th anniversary of the National Baseball Congress tournament in Wichita – which is one of my favorite things on this Earth – left me pondering in the early morning hours today.
We write a lot about business models, and it should be pretty clear by now that the model at the HOF isn’t working. That’s why I have to side with Dan’s idea for a ticket surcharge.
And if you haven’t been to L-D lately, go take a look. It’s a rundown mess – faded outfield walls, restrooms with gang graffiti, advertising literally peeling off the walls. The only things up to date are the outrageous concession prices – a nice lady from Goddard apologized to me yesterday when I dropped $2.75 for a very good but small cup of sweet tea.
I wonder why Wichita is so apathetic about its sports history. I suspect the HOF is going to have to retool its management and business models to survive. As for Lutz’ ideas to spruce up next summer’s anniversary tournament, I look around L-D and wonder if anyone cares enough to even listen.
“I wonder why Wichita is so apathetic about its sports history.”
I think I can address that a bit … and my comments will also show my antipathy to the Arena. A significant portion of our population is college educated – particularly those of us with significant disposable income. We tend to follow the college games – not local (semi)pro teams. Thus you will find me at Players cheering for my Bruins in basketball or maybe the Bulldogs in football. That is one of the reasons sports bars do so well here (and someone really had to try hard to fail at Oscars).
So, in regards to Wichita’s ’sports history’ many of us do not share that legacy.
bth you are right on the money.
BTH, I agree. Wichita is disinterested in professional sports, and has been as long as I’ve been around here.
It’s interesting that the NBC tournament – summer college baseball – consistently outdrew Triple-A and Double-A baseball.
Nonetheless, the HOF isn’t a professional sports museum. There’s a significant high school and college component.
And the city is letting L-D fall into disrepair. I submit that the apathy pervades professional and college sports. present and past, in Wichita.
NBC draws well because it is simple entertainment and during a ‘doldrum’ time. I remember my young son’s reaction getting a ball signed by the ‘big players’ one night. Of course, the players aren’t really all that big but to a 7-year-old they sure are.
I would think that baseball would be the exception to my rule – largely due to the fact that it needs smaller numbers to make it work and also that many of our colleges play much earlier. Of course, for me at least there IS the competition with my beloved Cubs and Red Sox!
If the HOF is going to succeed it needs to have a reasonable plan. For the life of me I cannot see having BOTH a KS and a Wichita HOF. Perhaps just one and perhaps on a smaller scale. Also, does it need a full-time director getting paid twice what the taxpayers make?
I suspect the Sports Commission has reached its high point when it convinced a narrow majority to vote for their Arena. Perhaps now they should focus some of their energy on raising donations to support their venues – including the HOF.
The attitude for the museum has been “Build it and they will come.”, there is no business model. There should have been a restaurant in there. There should have been a private Kansas Athletic Club that was associated with the restaurant with preference to members and an annual meeting for inductees. It amazes me how worthless these museums have made themselves and wonder why no one wants to support them. There has to be something of value that brings people in and back. Bob Hanson adds no value to the Hall. I’m not sure what value he brings to Wichita.
About the NBC tournament … a few minutes ago I was driving by Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. I heard Michael Dean, the perennial score keeper from somewhere up by the Great Lakes, playing “Take me out to the ballgame” on his harmonica. Good job again Michael.
So I stopped by for a few minutes and talked to Paul and Betty, the traditional ticket takers at the NBC games. Paul has been working the Wichita baseball games so long, he started at the old Island Park in the Arkansas River next to the Broadview Hotel. Considering the first games in L-D Stadium were played in 1935 or 36, Paul must have started at the Island Park stadium in the early 1930’s.
Paul has told me that he reached that “island” baseball stadium by walking part way across the Douglas Street bridge and then walking down an old stairway, down to the southern tip of the island below the bridge. Then it was only a hop, skip and jump north to that Stadium entrance.
The story is that wooden stadium burned down. Later the old WPA, one of Franklin Roosevelt’s reconstruction programs, filled in the channel on the west side of the island, about where McLean Boulevard is today, using wheelbarrows and mule drawn drag lines to completely eliminate that historic storied old island park.
Somehow, about the same time, the WPA also built Lawrence Stadium, later renamed Lawrence-Dumont Stadium to honor Wichita’s father of baseball, Hap” Dumont. An interesting book about Hap Dumont and his experiences at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium is in most area libraries but I can’t think of its name right now.
Meanwhile on the east bank of the Arkansas River was the headquarters of the Arkansas Valley trolley line that headed out for Newton and Hutchinson and other Wichita suburban locations. The two story AVI building was adjacent to and on the west side of the Broadview hotel.
The historic, magnificent Broadview Hotel towered over the entire area, anchoring the west end of Wichita’s then busy Douglas Avenue, perhaps the busiest intersection in Wichita during the 1920’s to 1970’s.
On the west side of Waco, where Wichita Chamber of Commerce stands now, the southwest corner lot was reserved for another hotel about the size of the Broadview that was started but never finished. Also the old downtown Missouri Pacific Railroad station stood on that lot.
And to complete the railroad story, the Midland Railroad had a railroad station on the west side of McLean Boulevard, south of Douglas, where the Metropolitan Baptist Church is located today.
The Midland Railroad’s tracks ran south on the east side of L-D baseball stadium offering free seating to watch the baseball games on the outside of the right field fence.
So Wichita’s railroads, hotels and baseball seemed to go together in the old days.
Can you imagine the size of the TIF project to bring back those days of yore?
“Arkansas Valley trolley line that headed out for Newton and Hutchinson and other Wichita suburban locations”
While a bit different perhaps a ‘local’ trolley throughout downtown might be something worth supporting. Such downtown transportation might help answer the parking question about the Arena and also help with parking problems in Old Town.
This would allow me to come downtown; do dinner at one place, perhaps take in a show, a drink somewhere afterwards, then back to my car. Only have to park once.
We need to start thinking ‘outside of the box’ in finding ways to make downtown successful.
Bth,
I am so glad you wrote that. I agree completely.
The transit in this town is a complete waste. I challenge anyone to take a look at this website and tell me what the benefit is.
http://www.wichitagov.org/CityOffices/Transit/BusRoutes/system_map.htm
Take the top 10 employers in the city. Take the top 5 business districts. Is anyone serviced?
It is an absolute shame.
prairiedog,
I’m interested in what you mean by “adds no value” to the HOF in regards to Mr. Hanson.
As a volunteer for the Hall of Fame, I know that Mr. Hanson is NOT an employee here but gives his time and efforts voluntarily as well. He works very hard to support the future of this great organization and knows the true value it brings to our community.
With the moon headed to Full as it rose above Lawrence-Dumont Stadium earlier this evening, the final championship game was played with the Santa Barbara Foresters emerging as the winner and the Seattle Studs the runners up.
After a variety of awards were announced by the NBC staff and the final shakes and hugs given, these NBC championship teams entered their large traveling buses to leave L-D stadium to head for homes and/or colleges in many cases.
While it’s warm this evening and the conviviality is still echoing in the night … the cool north winds will soon arrive to begin another fall and winter.
College football anyone?
jerry – I plan to work out in more detail a transit proposal that might just work here in Wichita. I start rather conservatively – trying to serve the area between Ridge and Hillside and about Pawnee to 29th N. Couple that with almost saturation downtown from Delano to Old Town (and points in between) during ‘critical’ times. I’d add special park-and-ride service for events when and if they occur.
This could be done with existing infrastructure. Then, if this works, we can build upon it.
bth: I think the Wichita transit bus routes should be extended south to Haysville and north to Park City. I looked into extending the system to Haysville perhaps three years ago and gave a voluntary written report to the Haysville mayor. The main point I recall is that the projected ridership might not justify the expense.
I really look forward to seeing your ideas, especially the park and ride. The area has some pretty large parking areas on the outskirts that would allow the funneling of people downtown.
I would like to see major east/west (Goddard/Andover) and North/South (Newton/Mulvane-train?) trunk lines. As an employer I think it would be a nice “perk” if I supplied shuttle service from the trunk line to the front door. Add simple, straight line of sight branch lines in key areas combined with downtown saturation (trolley, monorail or buses) and I truly think we could have something nice.
This is a great city that desperately needs some infrastructure. Safe, dependable, cost-effective transit would really make this place attractive for new businesses, conventions and families.
While I would LOVE to have the out-lying trunk lines (like we had in Chicago area) I am staying conservative – at least to start. Trying to work with only existing infrastructure and rolling stock.
Ridership is in many ways a ‘chicken-egg’ question – and right now I cannot ‘prove’ that riders will use a system if I build it. So, instead, I just want to look at re-deploying what we have.
The other BIG problem:
Hours:
6AM – 6:30PM, M – F
7AM – 5:30PM, Sat
So, if I get out of work late …
I wish you luck and if there is a way I can help please let me know!
bth: You just reminded me why transit BUSES will probably always be preferable to electric transit vehicles on tracks. Buses are a lot more flexible.
Of course, as we know, Wichita had a full fledged electric trolley system back in the years before 1940 that finally succumbed to the automobile. I know it went to Newton, Halstead and Hutchinson. I haven’t had time to research if it went south towards Wellington. I think it did because someone pointed out an old embankment going through Waco-Wigo vicinity down south of Haysville. I know from the old maps, a trolley line went up through Riverside area with a turn around in front of the “Perk.”
I wonder if there is a map of the old trolley lines in the 1930’s?
Incidentally, I would like to see a “Museum of Old Cameras and Photographic Equipment,” replace or augment the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. I think a lot of interest might exist and a lot of old photographic equipment is becoming extinct with the new digital stuff.
I wonder how to get the ball rolling on this idea?.