EL PASO, Texas – (KFOX14/CBS4) — With the deadline arriving on Thursday, groups interested in taking over management of the County Coliseum are submitting bids that could reshape the future of the venue.
The El Paso Sports Commission has managed the Coliseum since 2003, but El Paso County has opened a competitive bidding process to give other potential operators the chance to propose their plans.
RELATED: El Paso County seeks proposals for management, operation of county-owned Coliseum
During a tour for potential bidders, El Paso Sports Commission Communications Director Tony Rodriguez said the commission has been working with the county to meet its goals.
“When I got here in 2022, they asked for more combative sports. That was part of their strategic planning. And so that’s what we did,” Rodriguez said.
Earlier this year, county commissioners approved the competitive bidding process.
Potential operators were then given the opportunity to tour the Coliseum.
Six interested groups attended, including the Sports Commission, UTEP, and attorney and former Sports Commission CEO Brian Kennedy.
Kennedy said his interest in bidding is not driven by concerns about current operations.
“I’m not bidding because I think that there’s something wrong. I’m bidding because I think I have an idea that may not have been approached before,” Kennedy said.
After bids are submitted today, the county will review proposals before deciding who will manage the Coliseum going forward.
The current contract with the El Paso Sports Commission runs until September next year.
RELATED: Six bidders, including UTEP and Sports Commission, tour Coliseum ahead of June 25 bids
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