After attending Tuesday’s meeting of the Ector County Commissioners, we have more questions than we received answers to in regard to the proposed sale of our Ector County owned Coliseum to a private corporation. Quite honesty, it was apparent that the vote on Tuesday was already decided without hearing from the citizens.
The 200 person strong Board of Directors of the Permian Basin International Oil Show (“PBIOS”) is concerned. We were one of the original occupants when the Coliseum was built in 1954 and have been there ever since. PBIOS generates millions of dollars in economic activity each show cycle and has provided generous scholarship donations to area colleges (approx. $1.2 million from our last seven shows, with another $280K in progress). We are here for our industry and for the betterment of this community.
Yes, the Coliseum is funded by Ector County tax payers to some extent but also receives event user fees, concession fees, and a 2% Hotel/Motel tax (an average of $1.5+ million per year) for the operation, maintenance & improvement of the Coliseum.
The Coliseum was never intended to be a profit center for the County but rather, a quality of life service and economic enhancement for the area. While it does need some updating and a bit of face-lift, the Ector County Coliseum continues to fulfill the intentions of it’s opening back in 1954 by serving as a venue for area events and economic development.
Will an out of area for-profit company have those same considerations? There must be more discussions between the County Commissioners, stakeholders and the citizens of Ector County. We hope that will be the case ahead!
Anthony Fry
Executive Director, Permian Basin International Oil Show, Inc.
