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Two decades after its inception, the West Calcasieu Parish Community Center Authority has come a long way. Seven years ago, it opened the doors of the West Cal Arena to the public and in 2014 expects to do the same with the West Calcasieu Events Center.
“It took over 20 years for this organization to get where we are now,” stated Adrian Moreno, executive director of the West Cal Arena. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Moreno updated the Sulphur Rotary Club on the arena and the planned events center.
After seven years, interest in the arena appears to still be going strong.
“We’ve got events going on just about every weekend. We average, over the last seven years, 165 event days per calendar year. That’s about three events per week,” he said, adding that 75 percent of its utilization comes from youth and family-based organizations and that it sees about a 90 percent return of clientele.
The area has also received quite a boon economically from the existence of the arena.
“Over the last seven years, it is estimated that we have generated in excess of $15 million for the local economy through direct spending. An additional $8 to $10 million indirectly has been spent in the area thanks to the operation we have had in the last seven years,” said Areno.
However, due to the lack of certain amenities, a number of large organizations and events have passed on the arena, choosing instead to hold their events “down the road” at other facilities. One such group is the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association.
“The problem has been that our limited amenities have kept us from being able to [put a bid in]. The Louisiana High School Rodeo Association requires a minimum of 350 stalls; we have 120. They also require 150 full service RV spots; we have 65,” said Areno. “We do have plans to expand to that point one day.”
The property to the south of the arena has been earmarked for a future barn and RV expansion, which is a change from what it was originally intended for: the future events center. The parish’s service road project south of I-10 contributed to its shifted location north of the arena.
According to Moreno, the center will be about 45,000 square feet, which includes a 14,000 square foot main banquet hall that can be divided into three smaller rooms, and cost anywhere between $9.5 and $10 million. The key word when designing it, Moreno said, was functionality.
“I think we have achieved that.”
Moreno states that the walls will measure 28 to 32 feet and the ceilings will be blacked-out and open. There will be three meeting rooms averaging over 1,000 square feet apiece on the westside of the building, and the eastside of the building will have an executive board room and offices with an additional meeting room. All spaces will have state-of-the art audio and video technology, and there will be portable stage available for functions needing access to one. The center will also feature a full service catering kitchen large enough for usage by multiple caterers for multiple events. And a 10 foot tall mural celebrating West Calcasieu is planned.
Total seating capacity is being estimated at 1,500 people in theater seating and at about 1,000 for banquets. Parking will be available for anywhere between 300 and 500 people and is tied into existing space.
“There are some other expansion projects on the floor plan for additional parking on the westside of the property but that’s going to be later on down the road,” said Moreno.
The executive director reassured the group that funding for the project would not come from local funds.
“There is no local burden being put on the community,” said Moreno. “No local funds have been used to fund construction of this facility.” “Back in September, we sold a $7.8 million bond option to fund the construction of the facility,” he said.
The funding for the bond comes from the dedicated sales tax on hotel and motel rooms in Wards 4, 5, 6, and 7. Moreno estimates the number of rooms to be at 2,300 in West Calcasieu or just under half of all rooms in Calcasieu Parish.
“The remaining portion will come out of the authority’s capital reserves and some funding will be coming out of the state’s capital outlay program.”
The doors are expected to open up to the public in early 2014 with the main focus being on the local market, i.e. weddings, seminars, Mardi Gras balls, and such. However, Moreno foresees many possibilities for such a versatile space.
“Just like the arena, the list is kind of endless,” said Moreno. “My philosophy is: if we can dream it, we can book it.”
On the web:
www.westcalarena.com
Two decades after its inception, the West Calcasieu Parish Community Center Authority has come a long way. Seven years ago, it opened the doors of the West Cal Arena to the public and in 2014 expects to do the same with the West Calcasieu Events Center.
“It took over 20 years for this organization to get where we are now,” stated Adrian Moreno, executive director of the West Cal Arena. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Moreno updated the Sulphur Rotary Club on the arena and the planned events center.
After seven years, interest in the arena appears to still be going strong.
“We’ve got events going on just about every weekend. We average, over the last seven years, 165 event days per calendar year. That’s about three events per week,” he said, adding that 75 percent of its utilization comes from youth and family-based organizations and that it sees about a 90 percent return of clientele.
The area has also received quite a boon economically from the existence of the arena.
“Over the last seven years, it is estimated that we have generated in excess of $15 million for the local economy through direct spending. An additional $8 to $10 million indirectly has been spent in the area thanks to the operation we have had in the last seven years,” said Areno.
However, due to the lack of certain amenities, a number of large organizations and events have passed on the arena, choosing instead to hold their events “down the road” at other facilities. One such group is the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association.
“The problem has been that our limited amenities have kept us from being able to [put a bid in]. The Louisiana High School Rodeo Association requires a minimum of 350 stalls; we have 120. They also require 150 full service RV spots; we have 65,” said Areno. “We do have plans to expand to that point one day.”
The property to the south of the arena has been earmarked for a future barn and RV expansion, which is a change from what it was originally intended for: the future events center. The parish’s service road project south of I-10 contributed to its shifted location north of the arena.
According to Moreno, the center will be about 45,000 square feet, which includes a 14,000 square foot main banquet hall that can be divided into three smaller rooms, and cost anywhere between $9.5 and $10 million. The key word when designing it, Moreno said, was functionality.
“I think we have achieved that.”
Moreno states that the walls will measure 28 to 32 feet and the ceilings will be blacked-out and open. There will be three meeting rooms averaging over 1,000 square feet apiece on the westside of the building, and the eastside of the building will have an executive board room and offices with an additional meeting room. All spaces will have state-of-the art audio and video technology, and there will be portable stage available for functions needing access to one. The center will also feature a full service catering kitchen large enough for usage by multiple caterers for multiple events. And a 10 foot tall mural celebrating West Calcasieu is planned.
Total seating capacity is being estimated at 1,500 people in theater seating and at about 1,000 for banquets. Parking will be available for anywhere between 300 and 500 people and is tied into existing space.
“There are some other expansion projects on the floor plan for additional parking on the westside of the property but that’s going to be later on down the road,” said Moreno.
The executive director reassured the group that funding for the project would not come from local funds.
“There is no local burden being put on the community,” said Moreno. “No local funds have been used to fund construction of this facility.” “Back in September, we sold a $7.8 million bond option to fund the construction of the facility,” he said.
The funding for the bond comes from the dedicated sales tax on hotel and motel rooms in Wards 4, 5, 6, and 7. Moreno estimates the number of rooms to be at 2,300 in West Calcasieu or just under half of all rooms in Calcasieu Parish.
“The remaining portion will come out of the authority’s capital reserves and some funding will be coming out of the state’s capital outlay program.”
The doors are expected to open up to the public in early 2014 with the main focus being on the local market, i.e. weddings, seminars, Mardi Gras balls, and such. However, Moreno foresees many possibilities for such a versatile space.
“Just like the arena, the list is kind of endless,” said Moreno. “My philosophy is: if we can dream it, we can book it.”
On the web:
www.westcalarena.com
