Alliant Energy Center Updates and Info

County Board votes tonight, Council postpones update for second time, and who cares? You probably should, because we’ll probably be forking over another boatload of TIF money and other subsidies to make something happen, lets makes sure its something out community wants and needs. And hey, I bet that new room tax commission forks over a chunk of change too!

Think anyone on the county board will say a word, they usually don’t, but there might be press there to tonight so maybe we’ll see some grandstanding, but the vote is already decided . . .
Here’s the 4 versions of the resolution they have had:
2015 RES-444
2015 RES-444 SUB – PROPOSED CORRIGAN
SUB1to 2015 RES-444AS AMENDED BY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
2015 RES-444 SUB 2

WHAT WILL THE COUNTY BOARD VOTE ON TONIGHT
Their 4th version of a resolution that ends up looking like this . . .

The Dane County Alliant Energy Center (AEC) is a complex of four venues including the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Exhibition Hall, the New Holland Pavilions, and Willow Island. The mix of buildings and major events hosted at the facilities has evolved over time. In recent years, there has been substantial investment to address the needs of the World Dairy Expo and the Midwest Horse Show, two key AEC annual events. However,
there is no comprehensive master plan for the 164 acre campus.

Almost three years ago, the County Board formed the Alliant Energy Center Strategic Design Study Committee and allocated $100,000 to hire a consultant to develop a strategic vision and market-driven, financially sustainable design and plan for the Alliant Energy Center campus. The recently completed study made recommendations ranging from a low level of improvement and investment to a full campus expansion and new venue.

The Alliant Energy Center Design Study Committee recommends that the Dane County Board move forward on a master plan for the redevelopment of the AEC campus. A master plan, also called a comprehensive plan, provides a long-range vision for the built environment of a community and has a direct relationship to its citizens. It guides the appropriate use of lands in order to protect the public health and safety and to promote general welfare. Among other issues, the master plan can identify:
• suitable locations for commercial, housing and mixed-use development;
• opportunities to extend and/or improve open space, recreational areas, and civic facilities;
• strategies for increasing economic development;
• environmental, historic and cultural resources that need conservation; and
• strategies for solving congestion and improving transit services.

A master plan of the AEC campus will provide a vision of future development that will allow Dane County to get the highest and best use from the campus. Having a comprehensive plan will set in place a roadmap to increase the tax base and economic and event activity at the AEC, leveraging outside investment, which in turn generates
revenue to allow continued support of core County services. It will allow the County to maximize its own future investment according to a plan that reflects the community’s priorities, including economic, social, and environmental sustainability and equity. Further planning is needed to determine how to move forward at the AEC.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Dane County Board of Supervisors supports the development of a
master plan for the redevelopment and reinvestment of the Alliant Energy Center property, and specifies that
the plan should include the following:
1) Identification and assessment of event facility management and operating models that maximize access to a
variety of revenue options, including but not limited to room tax, food and beverage tax, car rental tax, TIF;
2) Identification of options that optimize transit, multi-modal access, and neighborhood development to maximize economic development in terms of jobs, tax generation, event hosting, etc. of the campus and surrounding area.
3) Engagement of the neighborhoods and all jurisdictions surrounding the AEC in meaningful dialogue in the master planning process which includes neighbors being able to fully express their views with the intent of making recommendations that could potentially be vetted with discussion.
4) Completion of an economic opportunity analysis of the development options for the campus and surrounding area to help direct the master planning process.
5) Completion of a comprehensive market study of the AEC facilities to determine the nature and order of potential improvements to the facilities and grounds and all costs and returns on investment associated with such improvements. The study will include an analysis of current, past, and potential future customers
and event industry trends.
6) Delineation of a phased implementation of the master plan, specifying opportunities over time for private and
public investment.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the comprehensive market study be completed in advance of the master plan and that the market study include an analysis of the impact of the County’s role in the exposition market, including a detailed analysis of the County’s fiscal exposure and potential loss or gain if the county were no longer in the business. This market study and analysis shall be presented to the Public Works and Transportation Committee and the Personnel and Finance Committee for determination of whether to move forward with the master plan. While recognizing the County’s responsibility to existing clients, the analysis shall include examining different options for management, purpose, and/or operation of the AEC grounds.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County Board Office to work in partnership with AEC leadership to establish
a Madison & Dane County staff team by March 15, 2016 to:
1) Identify options and make a recommendation for how a joint new management and investment strategy could be organized. This analysis should include all of the surrounding properties in addition to the AEC grounds and explore options to connect the downtown with the AEC.
2) Identify funds and direct the AEC Comprehensive Master Plan Committee to hire a professional consultant familiar with real estate developments and economic development in Dane County to help facilitate the staff team and ensuing master planning process. This step should be completed by June 15, 2016.
r to move forward with
3) Work with the consultant hired to complete the master plan to serve a sounding board regarding planning and development options.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, after approval by the Public Works and Transportation Committee and the Personnel and Finance Committee, the AEC use county funds already approved to issue an RFP to hire a consultant to conduct a master plan for the full campus expansion and new event venue redevelopment of the AEC as described in this resolution.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alliant Energy Center Comprehensive Master Plan Oversight Committee be established to include:
• Four members appointed by the County Board Chair, at least two of whom are county board supervisors and one of whom is a resident of a surrounding neighborhood
• The Alder from the Madison Common Council who represents the area
• The Mayor of Madison or his designee
• The County Executive or his designee
• The CEO of the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau
• One member appointed by the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau
• One member appointed by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce
• One member appointed by the Madison Area Sports Commission
• One member appointed by the Chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee who is knowledgeable and concerned about environmental sustainability

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that Madison and Dane County pursue enabling legislation from the Legislature to create a Tourism or Exposition district that includes some form of tourism based revenue stream for the venue. Alliant Energy Center is believed to be the only public venue of its type without a segregated revenue stream such as rental car fee or food and beverage tax.

What I see as changes in the last version is they move power to hire a consultant from staff to a committee, power to issue the RFP from the full county board to two committees and create a committee with 3 county elected officials, 2 city elected officials, 4 seats to the business community and one seat for environmental concerns. The remaining 2 seats are for citizens, one who has to live in the neighborhood. Seems like more emphasis on what the business community wants than what the citizens of the community want.

They vote tonight!

COUNCIL CANCELS AGAIN
from Tuesday:

Subject: Canceled: CANCELLED / Common Council Presentation: Alliant Energy Center Study: 2/29/2016
When: Monday, February 29, 2016 6:30 PM-8:00 PM.
Where: Room 201, City-County Building (Council Chambers)
This presentation has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date at the request of Council President Denise DeMarb. The Board of Estimates last night scheduled a special BOE meeting on the same evening to interview the two development teams who submitted proposals for the Judge Doyle Square project.

Lisa Veldran, Legislative Administrative Assistant
Madison Common Council Office
– – – –

The following is the rescheduled date/time/location of the presentation and other information on the study. An agenda will be emailed closer to the date of the presentation:

Common Council Presentation: Alliant Energy Center Study
February 29, 2016
6:30 p.m.
Room 201, City-County Building
210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.

Online link to Alliant Energy Center Strategic Feasibility Study Website

The following is a link to the presentation on the final report given to the Alliant Energy Center Oversight Committee. This presentation is 73 pages long.
https://aecstudy.countyofdane.com/documents/report/AEC_Presentation_10282015.pdf

For an even more concise overview of the project, the following is a link to the full report: Pages 3 thru 7 of the report are the Executive Summary, and pages 9 thru 15 are the Introduction.
https://aecstudy.countyofdane.com/documents/report/AEC_Feasibility_Study_10282015.pdf
Lisa Veldran, Legislative Administrative Assistant
Madison Common Council Office

POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE
Here’s the memo from chair Corrigan where they mouth the words poverty (like equity) when its useful to them . . . and feign interest in public input (well, “stakeholders”) when it suits their needs.

February 4, 2016
To: County Executive Joe Parisi
From: County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan
Re: Res. 444, Alliant Energy Center Campus Planning

Thank you for your recent memo in which you recommend continued improvements at the Alliant Energy Center. I appreciate the attention you have given the campus in recent years and know that we are on the same page in wanting to strengthen the potential of this County asset.

Tonight, the County Board’s Executive Committee considers Res. 444. This Resolution centers on the need f
or a plan for the future. The economic model for publicly-owned convention centers has changed and Dane County must be prepared to meet the new challenges in the marketplace.

Many members of the County Board are uncomfortable with continued investments into this campus that are not part of a larger plan that supports the economic growth of Dane County, addresses the needs of the surrounding neighborhood, and ensures that campus needs do not reduce our ability to provide core county services. The County Board is rightly concerned about improving mental health services, addressing poverty, and helping stabilize kids and families so young ones can succeed across our County. If we do not have a long-range plan for the economic health of the Alliant Energy Center, those needs will compete against the AEC each year for
funding. Alternatively, a plan that helps us realize the potential of the AEC and ensures that the economic benefits of the campus are equitably distributed to the community will strengthen our tax base and enable the County to better meet the needs of our residents.

In your recent memo, you create a false choice between investing $120 million in a new coliseum and spending no additional funds. Recently, you cited the Markin report, which recommends investing $52 million to renovate the coliseum, as a guide for incremental improvements in the facility. Deferred maintenance at the campus currently exceeds $6 million for needs such as chiller, boiler, and roof replacements and more. Clearly, funds need to be spent on Alliant Energy Center improvements if we are to remain in this business.

The real choice we are faced with is to be unafraid to examine the County’s role as a purveyor of convention and entertainment space and then to determine which models of ownership and what type of facilities are needed to create a campus that competes in the modern marketplace for years to come.

This choice must involve partnering with other stakeholders. As the owner of the AEC, the County should lead this conversation, but we should not consider ourselves the only voice. The AEC campus sits in a location that can positively impact surrounding neighborhoods, properties, the beltline and more. We need and want to reach out to other key stakeholders of this area of the County before we take any actions to modify the campus.

This conversation must explore collective opportunities such as job creation, affordable housing,
building tax base, lake quality and access, transportation and access while focusing on the
sustainability for the AEC campus and the surrounding area.

The goal of reimagining the Alliant Energy Center – and recognizing the possible role of the campus in helping us address solutions and provide opportunities for the surrounding area in terms of social mobility, transit and transportation, affordable housing, job creation, equity and more – is bold and may seem daunting. But, from all we have heard since making the first study results public, the time is right to embark upon this conversation an d opportunity to help us address both the future of AEC and other County interests.

Dane County’s Alliant Energy Center (AEC) facilities and campus have played an important role in the economic and social fabric of Dane County, the city of Madison, and the surrounding area for decades. I look forward to working with you as we plan for a strong future for Dane County.

CC: Dane County Board of Supervisors
Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin
Madison Common Council

Hmm, not cc’d to the neighborhood?

Anyways, there you have it, planning to plan for plans.