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The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo held a town hall meeting on its East Side grounds on future expansion plans if voters approve Propositions A and B on November 4.
A couple of hundred residents turned out for the event, many wearing cowboy hats.
The rodeo is planning a huge makeover of the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum grounds and buildings if voters approve Propositions A and B on November 4, which also would generate $311 million for a Spurs relocation from the same grounds to a new downtown arena. More than $190 million of that makeover on the rodeo grounds would be paid for by a venue tax if approved by voters on election day.
If the Spurs depart the Frost Bank Center for downtown, that leaves the rodeo the sole tenant that will have to take the reins to keep the grounds an economic generator for the East Side.
Rodeo CEO Cody Davenport said rodeos in Fort Worth and Las Vegas have made Western industry events a year-round success and so can San Antonio.
Anything Western, including cowboy competitions, youth competitions, and Western wear, are popular right now among consumers. The influence of streaming programs like "Yellowstone," "Ransom Canyon," "Landman," is evident.
Davenport said if done right, year-round events, including the February rodeo, could amount to $750 million in revenue.
But rows of warehouse-sized barns and acres of flat concrete need some softening.
"It's got a very cold feeling. There's no warm feeling to it. There's no unity inside of the buildings," Davenport said. But he said voter approval would give them the funds to construct some new facilities and modify others to give the grounds a more welcoming appeal.
The grounds will look a little greener, too—with landscaping improvements.
The rodeo has information on its website about the proposed plans. See more details of the plans here.
One thing is very clear: voters want more information and public outreach like the town hall before election day—not only from the rodeo, but also from the Spurs, the city, and the county.
"Who's going to pay for what and for how long? That information is very important to know and to have, obviously, you know, before the November vote comes along," said Patricia Fernandez, a local resident who attended the town hall to learn more.
San Antonio resident Gilbert Medford said he still wanted to learn more too before backing Props A and B.
"I think if they put out more information that they would have more support for it," he said. "If everything they say is true and there is a financial analysis that verifies this, I'm all in favor of it."
Area resident Lainey Franklin, who is also a rodeo volunteer, was glad to see the rodeo reach out to the public.
"Anytime you educate somebody on what it is and how the impact is and what opportunities are there, I think it's very helpful to help the public understand," she said.
On the November 4 ballot, voters will be asked to increase the hotel venue tax to 2% to pay for the overhaul. That’s the same tax that paid for the construction of what is now the Frost Bank Center, formerly known as the AT&T Center.
Despite the possible Spurs move and rodeo expansion being top of mind for some time at City Hall and Commissioners Court, the rodeo, Spurs, city and county may need increase their voter outreach efforts.
