Mayor Madeline Rogero has decided to make improvements to the city-owned Civic Auditorium and Coliseum to keep them “viable without eliminating future possibilities,” according to a city press release.
The city is issuing a request for qualifications for an architecture and engineering team to design and recommend a number of improvements including new seats, new lights and a new ice floor.
A feasibility study in 2016 showed that the 1961-vintage facility was outdated in many ways and recommended either complete renovation or building an entirely new Coliseum alongside an upgraded Auditorium. The cost estimates in 2016 ranged from $26 million for renovation to more than $140 million for a new Coliseum.
“I would love to be able to build a new Coliseum for the more than 250,000 people who attend events (there) every year,” Rogero said. “But with other pressing priorities, including the need for a new headquarters for our police and fire departments, it is not realistic to fund a project of that scale in the short term.”