In 2013, a citizen-led effort to build an event center in 足交视频 that would host trade shows, rodeos and concerts emerged. While the event center never came to fruition, the concept of constructing a multi-purpose event center lives on.

At a 足交视频 County Commissioners Court meeting over a decade ago, Rawley McCoy, president of the architecture firm Rawley McCoy and Associates, and Steve Roth, president of Roth Construction, presented 18 months of research and full-color schematics of a multi-use event center.

The center would have been placed on a 500-acre development on the Northeast side of town between Loop 463 and 足交视频 Regional Airport. The proposed site was valued at an estimated $547,980, according to the 足交视频 County Appraisal District in 2013.

Everything from trade shows, stock shows, concerts and sporting events would have made use of the center. In addition to the multi-use center, facilities for stock shows, retail space and a full-service hotel, like a Marriott or Hilton, were proposed. The center would have had the capacity for 8,500 people for concerts and room for 6,500 people for rodeos or sporting events.

The venue looked to fill three voids within the community: Entertainment, hospitality and athletics.

鈥淥ur drive is at all levels to fill the need of the community,鈥 Roth said in 2013. 鈥淎long with that, we want to do our best to see it is an entity that isn鈥檛 a drain on the community but an asset.鈥

The plan for a facility like this had been a dream for years, but with the growth and impact of new plants in the area, 2013 was the right time to try and make it happen.

And with all projects, the eventual question that gets asked is, who would pay for it?

While the commissioners at the time showed support for the project with a short video titled 鈥淐ooperative Expression of Interest鈥, the letter was not a commitment to funding.

Roth had said the facility would strictly be funded by them with no commitment from the county. But later Roth said it was likely to be a private-public partnership involving the city, county and other players.

McCoy鈥檚 concept for the event center was inspired by the $55 million Cedar Park Center, which opened north of Austin in 2009. Owned by the city yet operated through a public-private partnership with Hicks Sporting Group at the time, Cedar Park Center set the standard for successful event centers. The facility was partially funded through a $43 million bond.

The key to the center is adaptability.

鈥淐ountless opportunities exist for tourism but those events cannot happen if there is no space for them,鈥 McCoy said at the time.

Unfortunately the multi-use event center that Roth and McCoy dream never became a reality. The City of 足交视频 has been reviewing plans to improve the community center. Last year, the city completed a sports facility assessment. Included in these plans is the feedback from residents.

In March, the consultant behind the project, Populous, Inc., hosted an open house to gain feedback from the community. This is in addition to a survey that garnered nearly 900 responses. Residents were in favor of upgrading the community center for larger and newer types of events, but the idea of adding a rodeo arena was especially popular.

In September, 足交视频 City Council received a new master plan for the community center during a special workshop. Some of the highlights proposed in the master plan included renovations to the community center, including the arena, and additional paved parking on the carnival lot and the construction of a new venue were also presented. The new venue is being proposed to accommodate 3,000 to 5,000 people, and there are currently two proposals for how to construct the building.

Where the livestock events that are now hosted is proposed to become a recreational sports complex that could have three basketball courts or four volleyball courts. The arena could also make space for trades shows. The arena could hold around 120 booths or a banquet hall that could hold up to 830 people at round tables.

Inside the dome, one proposed idea is to relocate the stage and improve the heating and air conditioning. The dome has no heating system currently.

At this time, City council has yet to set a timeline to pursue any of the proposed changes or renovations to the community center.

鈥滻f we want to be bigger and better as a community, we need to start thinking bigger and better, or we鈥檒l just continue to sit and never (realize) our potential,鈥 McCoy said in 2013.

For more information about the City鈥檚 master plan for the community center and fairgrounds, please visit .

In this column called Ask Madison, Madison O’Hara, a 足交视频 native and Advocate reporter, answers questions readers have about anything and everything to do with the Crossroads. Email your question to Madison at askmadison@vicad.com or call her at 361-580-6558.