Peoria Civic Center shortfall grows
By Steve Tarter and Chris Kaergard, Journal Star, Peoria, Ill. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Against that backdrop, members of the board governing the taxpayer-supported
Attendance was down 23 percent this fiscal year from last when the
In recent years, annual attendance for all
As a result, the
The center's reserves are down from about
"Last winter killed us. Snow hit us on hockey games. We sold 3,400 tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters last January but only 1,800 people showed up. Usually we get 1,000 walk-ups for the Globetrotters," he said, referring to the annual
"The monster truck show also got hit by the weather as well as
It didn't help that the
Another problem has been the lack of hotel space Downtown that puts a crimp on conventions, said Wetherington.
"We're working with the
At-Large City Councilman
Although the
"We're off 50 percent in conventions since 2010. We just don't have the capacity to do Downtown conventions. We need to be able to house the key convention players that use the Civic Center Downtown," he said.
- Along with fewer conventions, there have been fewer big crowds, said Wetherington. The recent Earth, Wind & Fire concert, an act long sought in
"Lady Antebellum and
The
Other local venues also have staged shows that otherwise might have been held at the
"The Limelight (Eventplex at
To make ends meet, the
The SMG contract for three years, with an annual management fee of
Looking ahead, Wetherington said he wants to be optimistic but added that the marketing plan submitted Thursday to the Civic Center Board "does not anticipate much improvement in the year ahead."
The change in the food and beverage service -- now being brought in-house to be managed by SMG -- will provide a nearer-term infusion of cash and place all the accountability for performance with one entity. That's a crucial move, authority chairman
"There's no more possible finger-pointing," he said. "It's going to be on their shoulders, and I think going in the direction of greater accountability is a plus for the authority and for taxpayers."
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