By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
The Tri-Rivers Stadium has seen its last rodeo.
Some local residents are not willing to accept the long-standing stadium's fate, however, believing very public decisions made by both city and county governments are, well, horse-pucky.
As of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, a change.org petition started by Karody Robbins, after the stadium's fate was sealed, in the hope of saving the rodeo grounds from the wrecking ball had 5,310 signatures.
The petition puts the blame for the planned demolition of the stadium squarely on the City of Salina, which voted in March to partner with a private local group, Salina Net Generation, to build a $2.6 million tennis facility on the site of the stadium and the old Municipal Swimming Pool. The old pool house will be turned into a clubhouse that will include restrooms and showers. As a part of the deal, USD 305 will assume control of the tennis courts at Jerry Ivey Memorial Park.
The stadium's fate, however, was sealed well before that March vote when Saline County declined to include the stadium in its negotiations with the city to lease part of the city-owned Kenwood Park for the county expo center and on July, 28, 2020, approved a 30-year lease agreement with the city for the expo center grounds to the south of Tony's Pizza Events Center. The rodeo grounds were not a part of the lease.
"I do think there's quite a bit of confusion between roles of Saline County and the City of Salina, and this is probably a good example of that. Understandably so," City Manager Mike Schrage said during the Aug. 9 city commission meeting. "As you know, the city owns the ground that Kenwood Park sits on, which would be the rodeo grounds and the expo center. So we're essentially the landlord. Have been for decades. And the county leases those sites from us. And then ultimately, they, in a roundabout way, sublease the rodeo grounds to the Saline County Fair Association."
Schrage said that during the lease negotiations, the city requested that the county agree to address long-standing deferred maintenance at both the stadium and the expo center, as well as exterior improvements that would tie the city and county-leased sites together.
"As you well know, the lease negotiations played out over an extended amount of time, literally over multiple years. There were several public meetings in both bodies, as well as joint meetings of the bodies with extensive media coverage of those lease negotiations. The Saline County Fair Association and other stakeholders were fully aware of those ongoing discussions, engaged both governing bodies on more than one occasion, I believe. I believe they addressed the county commission on multiple occasions," Schrage said.
Schrage's comments did not deter a number of people from participating in the citizens forum portion of the city commission meeting on Monday, including Robbins, who told city commissioners that the tennis complex will not affect as many Salinans as does the Tri-Rivers Fair Stadium.
"Nearly 100 percent of citizens in this city have been to an event there. That is something that is a significant cultural part of this city and a lot of people feel a fair amount of attachment to it," Robbins said.
She did not explain how she determined the percentage of Salina citizens who she believes have attend an event in the stadium.
When asked to comment about why the county did not include the stadium in its negotiations for a new lease from the city for the expo center, County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes told Salina Post, "The past process for developing a new lease on the expo center site was protracted, involved many twists and turns, and included many public meetings. What I will comment on is the present and the future. Saline County is excited to be moving forward with the improvements we committed to as part of the lease, which will provide an improved visitor experience over the next 29-1/2 years. Any concerns with the future of Tri-Rivers Stadium need to be addressed to the property owner."
Fair Board President Amber Fair told Salina Post that some people were devastated by the loss of the Tri-Rivers Stadium, however she acknowledge that the matter was out of the fair board's hands.
"There's a lot of history being torn down," she said.
One item that will not be demolished is the sign that has stood in front of the stadium for years. Fouard said the fair board plans to preserve it in some fashion.