Marion A&P agrees to fund rodeo arena, museum studies

Marion A&P agrees to fund rodeo arena, museum studies

Mayor: ‘ I’d like to have as much information available as possible’

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion A& P has agreed to fund two economic impact studies to help the city determine whether they should go ahead with plans to build a Sultana museum and a rodeo arena.

A& P members approved spending up to $30,000 each for the studies and will look to see how much those amenities would bring in to the local economy compared to the costs to build and operate them.

“Before we just leap in and say hey let’s don’t do this, or hey this is a great idea, I’d like to have as much information available as possible,” said Mayor Frank Fogleman. “I think having two studies would be money well spent to give us a better grip on a rodeo arena and a museum.”

Fogleman said the studies should give officials a better sense of what each rodeo and museum visitor will spend on food and lodging and other things they need while they are in Marion.

Esperanza Bonanza has approached A& P about possibly helping to fund construction of an enclosed rodeo arena at the sports complex.

The proposed arena is expected to cost about $300,000.

A recent feasibility study for a proposed Sultana museum concluded that the museum would draw about 35,000 visitors a year, but would lose about $135,000 a year.

Fogleman said he believes a rodeo arena would be utilized if the city builds it, but would like to see some numbers as to how much it would generate in new tax revenue.

“I think there is some feasibility to doing this,” Fogleman said. “I’ve looked around and there are some nice rodeo arenas that come to mind — Searcy and Jonesboro for one. But before we put a whole lot more money in, maybe we should spend a little more to get some data to see what the impact would be. I think it is just doing our due diligence.”

Esperanza Bonanza Treasurer Joanie Taylor said they have already raised about $125,000 for construction.

“We’re not asking A& P to fund the whole amount,” Taylor said. “We at Esperanza are putting up money.”

Taylor, who is an avid rodeo participant, said the current rodeo already draws about 200 competitors and 2,000 spectators and is getting bigger each year.

Rodeo promoters are already excited about an arena in Marion.

Taylor said she has a promoter in Jonesboro who is willing to commit to bring one barrel racing event a month to Marion if they build an arena, and four others who would bring events to the city twice a year.

“They are locked in if we are going to do it,” Taylor said.

Taylor said the Interstate 40 and 55 corridor is a hot spot for the rodeo circuit.

“You’re talking about 500 girls who would come to compete,” Taylor said.

“These girls, these barrel racers — and I’m one of them — would keep the roads hot going from place to place. They might be here one night on a Friday and then Saturday they are in Jonesboro. So they are going to need a place to stay and eat — and their mommas and their daddies.”

Taylor pointed to some anecdotal evidence and said that local businesses in Marion definitely benefit from the Esperanza Bonanza rodeo. “Check with Marion Marketplace,” Taylor said.

“They will tell they do between $50,000 and $75,000 more the week of Esper- anza. Tops B-B-Q in Marion can not keep up with the baked beans and slaw orders because of Esperanza. They say they put on an extra person or two because of Esperanza to keep up with orders.”

Taylor also added that the rodeo arena could be utilized by other groups for a variety of different events when it isn’t being uses for rodeo.

“The local 4-H have no place to show their livestock,” Taylor said. “They would love to have a place to come to.”

A& P member Hilda Phillips, who also follows rodeo, agreed and said similar equestrian facilities down in DeSoto County, Miss. are always packed with rodeo events being held.

“I’m all for the feasibility study,” Phillips said.

Fogleman said Dr. Ruth Hawkins of Arkansas State University has projected that visitors to a Sultana museum would bring over $200,000 a year.

Hawkins, who developed the Johnny Cash Museum, Southern Tenant Farmers Museum and others for ASU, said previous studies show that visitors to Poinsett County spend an average of about $237 on their visit.

The city opened a small museum to the Sultana last year on Washington Street and is proposing to build a permanent museum next to the Woolfolk Library.

The Sultana Disaster Museum would be about 10,000 square feet and is expected to cost about $2.8 million.

A& P, which oversees the money collected from the city’s one cent tax on prepared foods, has agreed to spend $400,000 to build the museum and another $75,000 a year to help operate

the museum over the

next ten years.

Fogleman said he is excited about the possibility of 35,000 visitors coming to a Sultana museum, but admits there are still some big challenges ahead to build it.

“The (feasibility) report was mixed,” Fogleman said. “There were some good things in it. It did point out that selling tickets and souvenirs will not fund the operations. But in all honesty, 35,000 people to me is ‘wow!’ That’s nearly 3,000 people a month. Six days a week that’s 500 people a day. That’s ‘wow!’ But it is a pretty daunting challenge — $2.8 million — to build a facility.”

Fogleman said he sees ballfields, a rodeo arena, and a museum as a way to get more people to visit Marion, but added that the study results will give them another tool to use as to whether they move forward or not on both projects.

“If we can get a reliable source that says the indirect tax impact is greater than the loss, it would make me feel better about moving forward and spending the money to build,” Fogleman said. “I’d rather somebody with some knowledge say good, bad, or in-between — whatever their projection is — to give us some new information to make a better decision. It will still be up to the city, A& P, or both. So I would rather spend a little bit of money to get more information than to arbitrarily say ‘yay’

or ‘nay’ and move forward.”

Councilman David Bigger agreed.

“I think it is a great idea,” Bigger said. “When you are spending public money you need something to back it up. The $25,000 may be money well spent.”

Fogleman said it will take about 90 days to complete the studies.

By Mark Randall