Llano event center trade deal is off
A trade deal between the city of Llano and Llano County for the John L. Kuykendall Event Center and Arena was called off on Aug. 14 after eight months of negotiations. The city will keep the center rather than trade it for county-owned property, including parkland. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
A controversial trade deal between Llano County and the city of Llano for the John L. Kuykendall Event Center and Arena was called off on Monday, Aug. 14, during the Llano County Commissioners Court’s regular meeting.
The court cited concerns over the cost of necessary repairs as the main reason for nixing the deal, while the city voiced optimism about the facility’s future.
In July 2022, the city of Llano proposed trading the center for several parcels of county-owned property, including parks, that are within the city limits. The deal was approved in November 2022 and expected to go through in January 2023, but hiccups in negotiations slowed things down. Llano then elected a new mayor in May.
“The new mayor wants to keep it,” Commissioner Jerry Don Moss told DailyTrib.com after Monday’s meeting. “There’s no hard feelings.”
The 25,000-square-foot facility lies on 88 acres of land at 2200 RR 152 West near the Llano city limits. It includes a large rodeo arena and indoor event space that together is worth about $2.7 million, according to an evaluation made during the negotiations.
Moss was the main advocate of the trade as well as the county’s negotiator. He wanted to maintain the facility as a place for Llano County youths to participate in stock shows, FFA events, and 4-H activities without having to travel. The amount of repairs needed and who would pay for them became a sticking point. The roof alone needed about $66,000 in work, Moss said.
“In the negotiations from the start, I relayed that I would expect everything to be fixed,” he continued.
Commissioners were divided on the deal from the beginning. Last November, commissioners Mike Sandoval and Linda Raschke voted against the trade, stating that the event center would disproportionately benefit the city of Llano rather than the whole county. The proposed deal was dependent upon the county using $150,000 in hotel occupancy tax funds to facilitate the center’s early operation.
Negotiations continued throughout early 2023, but when former Mayor Kelli Tudyk chose not to run for office and was replaced by Marion Bishop in May, the situation’s tone changed.
“I never thought (the trade) was a good idea, but the deal was basically done when I took office as mayor,” Bishop told DailyTrib.com. “Right now, (the event center is) a big money sink. That’s why the city wanted to get rid of it.”
Currently, the center is operating at a $370,000 deficit, the mayor said. However, he believes he’ll be able to turn things around.
“There could be a lot more opportunities out there, but nobody has really developed all of (the center’s) aspects,” he said. “We’re underutilizing that facility. It’s my contention that the city can make this work and create at least a break-even possibility.”
The city will look into making the necessary repairs and fixing the lighting issues that make it difficult to hold professional events in the rodeo arena, Bishop said. He also said he fully intends to maintain the center as a venue for local youths to participate in livestock and rodeo activities.
“(The event center) is an asset,” he said. “It shouldn’t be a burden. It should be a blessing.”