Macon-Bibb to start contract talks for new Coliseum, auditorium management

The Macon-Bibb County Commission agreed 6-2 Tuesday to begin contract negotiations with a firm to manage the Macon Coliseum and City Auditorium.

The commission voted to begin work on a contract with Philadelphia-based Spectra, which manages 136 facilities worldwide. The decision came despite some hesitation by the Coliseum’s primary tenant — minor league hockey team Macon Mayhem — and county commissioners’ questions about the selection process.

Commissioners Bert Bivins and Larry Schlesinger voted against using Spectra, and Commissioner Al Tillman was absent.

Schlesinger said he wanted to hear a presentation from the firm SMG, which also submitted a bid for the work, before making a final decision. Schlesinger also said a member of the County Commission should have been involved in the selection process early on.

After speaking with an SMG official Tuesday, Schlesinger said there was enough information relayed to him to delve further into which group would be a better fit for Macon-Bibb.

“I really feel we are being asked to rubber stamp a recommendation without really having all the facts,” he said.

Mayor Robert Reichert said he strongly disagreed with Schlesinger’s comments. The mayor said it is the role of the Macon-Bibb administration to bring a group before commissioners that it thought would best manage the facilities.

“My function is to go through the administrative process of selecting some person, somebody and bringing them for your approval ... and them I’m charged as administrator with making sure they have a satisfactory result,” Reichert said during an earlier committee meeting Tuesday.

Macon Mayhem owner Bob Kerzner said Tuesday that his reservations about working with Spectra date back several years when his hockey franchise was playing in an Augusta facility managed by Spectra. He said he filed a lawsuit against Augusta-Richmond County for what he said was lost revenue after an issue with the ice caused the team to have to play some games in a smaller arena.

Krezner also said he wanted to see if the team’s five-year lease at the Macon Coliseum could be modified to ensure that rate would not go up in the final four years of the agreement. But his suggestion was struck down by Macon-Bibb commissioners, who said it was unfair to change a contract for one group in the middle of a lease.

“What I’m trying to do is assure we can afford to keep hockey here another four years,” Kerzner said.

Macon-Bibb officials agreed to seek new management proposals for the Coliseum and City Auditorium earlier this year. The two buildings currently are under the management of Noble-Interstate Management Group. Under the Spectra proposal, the firm would receive a $120,000 yearly management fee, but more details such as incentives still have to be worked out.

“The real meat on the bones will be the negotiation of the contract,” Reichert said.

If the finalized Spectra contract is approved, Noble-Interstate Management Group would continue to manage the Wilson Convention Center, which is under a separate long-term lease.

Macon-Bibb receives mental health grant

Also Tuesday, the County Commission approved the acceptance of a grant aimed at reducing the number of Bibb County jail inmates suffering from mental health disorders.

The $250,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant involves the partnership of the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center and River Edge Behavioral Health Center, which is the mental health service provider for the jail.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb to start contract talks for new Coliseum, auditorium management."