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Ddecember 16, 2003 Council favoring coliseum contract Council members say the contract addresses a number of concerns they have. BY MARK BINKER Staff Writer GREENSBORO - A majority of City Council members say they will support tonight a plan to turn over the Greensboro Coliseum's concessions and catering operations to a private company. Of the nine members, eight council members contacted Monday all said that, barring something unexpected, they would support the contract with Centerplate, a subsidiary of Spartanburg, S.C. - based Service America Corp. "I've got a dozen questions," said Mayor Keith Holliday, "But on the surface, my initial perception is that it looks like a great deal." Under the contract, Centerplate will pay the city a percentage of the proceeds from concession sales, merchandise sales and catering, taking over those operations from the city-run coliseum. The company will also give the city $3 million in grants to upgrade its concessions and VIP hospitality areas. "It gives us a funding source for doing the maintenance and upgrades that we must do to make sure we are competitive with Raleigh and Charlotte," said council member Florence Gatten. Coliseum Director Matt Brown declined through a spokesperson to discuss the contract, saying that he wanted to brief council members before talking publicly about the deal. The council is scheduled to handle the proposal as one of the last items on what many members said could be a time-consuming agenda tonight. During an interview this spring, Brown said that the coliseum needed to augment its ability to host receptions and other VIP events before and after events. He talked about the possibility of adding a building to the complex between the coliseum itself and War Memorial Auditorium. Such a facility, he said, would be useful for regular users such as the Greensboro Symphony and would help land big-name events, such as re-signing the ACC basketball tournament. That is the kind of expansion referred to in the contract with Centerplate, confirmed coliseum spokesman Andrew Brown. The contract specifically lays out how the coliseum should use its $3 million grant, including upgrades to concourse signs and concession areas. It also specifies that the coliseum will develop "a new VIP reception catering facility," although it does not lay out specifics. Centerplate was one of four firms asked to submit a proposal for the coliseum's business, Andrew Brown said. Council members said they had been told the Centerplate deal was by far the best proposal offered by any of the companies. Council members said the contract addresses a number of concerns they had about contracting with a private company. For example, the deal allows volunteers from nonprofit agencies to help run concession stands as fund-raisers, something council members Sandy Carmany, Gatten and Claudette Burroughs-White said was particularly important. Also, the coliseum retained the ability to approve or reject price increases and menu changes, the sort of changes that will affect the most people. In other coliseum-related business, the council will consider amending the mission of the War Memorial Commission, the appointed body that keeps tabs on the coliseum complex for the council. The changes will officially move the body from a watchdog and administrative body that sets policy to an advisory body that, among other functions, serves "as a liaison to the community to promote the activities and events being held at the facility." In other business, the council will also revise its policies regarding when to connect streets from new neighborhoods into older existing neighborhoods. Such connections often prompt opposition from existing residents, but the council has had little say over whether such street connections take place. The new policy allows council members to intervene as they decide whether or not to let a development go forward. Contact Mark Binker at 373-7023 or mbinker@news-record.com |