Companies lay out proposals for Coliseum

Last Update: 10/27/2009 6:24 pm

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WICHITA, Kansas – It’s down to two. Sedgwick County Commissioners now have just two options to renovate the Kansas Coliseum.

The first proposal came from a company called North American Development or NORAM. It’s owned by the same firm that bought Wild West World last year.

NORAM plans on spending anywhere from $20 million to $25 million to renovated and upgrade the Kansas Coliseum and the land surrounding it. Its plans include a hotel and retail space while making upgrades to the Britt Brown Arena.

Company spokesperson Doug Spangler told commissioners Tuesday his company believes it could create the kind of facility that would draw anywhere from 1 million to 1.5 million tourists to the Coliseum annually. Spangler laid out for commissioners how his company would change the Coliseum.

"The plan is we would immediately take over the management of the pavilions, we would stabilize that,” he said. “Then sign the necessary contracts to make sure the commercial development happened simultaneously with the reconstruction of Britt Brown Arena."

Spangler also said his company has the pull to bring in some very well-known national retailers that are not currently in the Wichita market.

Meanwhile, the other developer in the running for the project, the Heritage Group, proposed the Saddlerock Rodeo Resort. It would be a facility attracting dozens of rodeos. A hotel would also be part of the plan. Its price tag would be between $18 million and $23 million, which would consist of public and private dollars.

Commissioners have not decided when they will announce their decision on the bid.

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