Sedgwick County commissioners this morning are considering options for the future of the former Kansas Coliseum complex.
Options include issuing a new request for proposals to developers, hiring a commercial broker to sell off all or parts of the property or auctioning off the complex.
County Manager William Buchanan said the ideal would be to find a developer who would want to operate the Kansas Pavilions, which remain open, “to get us out of that business.”
Buchanan said there are a few “tire kickers” who have expressed interest in the complex.
Britt Brown Arena has been closed at the complex since last year. The county made a commitment to keep the pavilions, popular for equestrian events, dog shows and swap meets, open through 2016.
But the county operates the pavilions at a loss. The budgeted subsidy for the complex next year is $584,000.
In 2009, the county asked developers for their ideas for the complex. Three groups submitted ideas, all of which the county rejected. One idea was a rodeo complex.