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Saginaw County Event Center Renovations Well Underway By Mark R. Leffler A little more than a year after Saginaw County voters gave a big "thumbs up" to renovating the Saginaw Civic Center, Phase I of the construction is on schedule to be completed by September 15, 2002. With less than three weeks from that target date, Spicer Group, Incorporated (which is managing the project on behalf of Saginaw County) hosted a walk through for local media. It was evident that "major" is the proper adjective to describe the work being done on the thirty-year-old facility. By the time Phase II is completed in September of 2003, over $14 million will have been spent to convert the entertainment complex into The Saginaw County Event Center. Workers are hurrying to complete the makeover of Wendler Arena in time for the home opening debut of the OHL's Saginaw Spirit hockey team, who will face off against Sarnia on September 21st. The Arena, Heritage Theater and Unity Hall have been closed for business through the summer to allow for the extensive improvements. Although most of the Center still has much work to be done, very noticeably with huge rolls of carpeting still to be laid down (almost all of the facility is getting new carpeting) the County officials on hand seemed well pleased with the progress. "Spicer Group, and Owner's Representative Darrick Huff, have been key in pulling this project together. With their expertise and experience throughout the project, the Event Center's renovations should be well received by the taxpayers that have funded it. The County of Saginaw has been very pleased with Spicer Group's and Huff's involvement in making the Event Center a first-class entertainment facility," said Angela Garner, Management Assistant to the Saginaw County Controller. The general contractor on the project is Spence Brothers Construction, while Wigen Tincknell Meyer & Associates is responsible for the architectural portion of the renovation. SMG, who is booking the entertainment for the facility, is responsible for purchasing fixtures, furniture and equipment needed. Drivers passing by the worksite can't help but notice the major landscaping and construction that is being done on the south side of the building, which currently has separate entrances for the Arena, Theater and Unity Hall and Garden Room. What is being termed the "Sense of Entry", known also by the more elegant title "The Atrium", will be completed in Phase II of the renovations. It will be a 10,000 square foot elegant facing structure featuring a single entry to all parts of the Event Center as well as the new box office. All of this work is a happy ending to what had become a financial nightmare for the City of Saginaw. Working with limited funds and with little hope of getting residents to pass a millage to maintain, let alone upgrade, the Civic Center, local officials had notified the public that they were prepared to close the facility. Faced with such a prospect, Saginaw County officials teamed up with the City to put a referendum on the ballot to see if county voters would approve a property tax millage of $20 million over ten years. Surveys had shown that residents in the township were the primary customers, attending more events than city residents, and in the end it was the support from the outlying areas of the county that led the voting, as 19,323 votes were tallied approving the millage. Thus the Saginaw Civic Center became the Saginaw County Event Center and responsibility for the site became a county job. Vital to the future operation of the Event Center was the installation of a new building wide Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Three decades of use had worn out the old system and the City of Saginaw barely had the funds to operate the facility without any real hope of being able to afford this vital improvement. The HVAC upgrade, along with various lighting and sound improvements, will total $12.7 million. Another $1.6 million is going to assorted renovations of Wendler Arena, many of them to be used by the Saginaw Spirit. Most noticeable to hockey fans will be a new $300,000 scoreboard, featuring a video screen that will show replays during games. $500,000 has gone to install telescopic risers (much like basketball bleachers) down by ice level. There will be five retractable rows of VIP seats with cup holders. All told, the arena will hold up to 7,600 fans. Wendler Arena has received a new roof and additional lighting to make the arena much brighter. The sound system has been updated and fans will enjoy renovated concession areas and restroom facilities while the teams will lace up their skates in new locker rooms. Unity Hall will have all new seating, lighting and carpeting. In October six large chandeliers will be installed in the Hall, which usually is rented out for wedding receptions and banquets and civic events such as the Mayor's State of the City address. Considering all the food that is consumed at the Event Center's various functions, it's understandable that the renovations would also extend to the kitchen facilities. They feature a new ceiling, lighting and new freezers. A common complaint over the years is that the Civic Center did not bring in enough big name acts to draw concertgoers downtown. That is hardly a valid complaint considering that Wendler Arena has hosted Patti LaBelle, Reba McEntire, Kid Rock, The WWF & WCW, Stone Temple Pilots, national ice skating shows and even, back in the day, Elvis Presley. Part of the difficulty has been due to contracts that limit national acts that play Auburn Hills Palace from appearing at arenas within a certain mile radius. Some of those problems will be minimized by new management booking acts at the Event Center. International management firm SMG will now handle what was formerly the responsibility of city management at the Civic Center. A visit to their website, SMGworld.com, revealed that SMG manages 63 arenas and civic centers in 33 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Europe. They book sporting events, concerts and family entertainment. It also manages seven stadiums, 31 performing arts centers and 44 convention centers. In 2001, SMG facilities grossed more than $1 billion with events drawing 50 million people. As the Event Center prepares to open for the fall season, the SCEC is accepting applications for ushers, banquet staff, ticket takers, stagehands, concession workers, and hawkers/vendors. Anyone interested should apply at the SCEC or call 989-759-1320 for more information. And for more information about the SCEC, its upcoming events and news about the renovations, visit their website at: www.saginawcountyeventcenter.com.
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