Dane County intends to award a nearly $20.7 million contract to build its two new multi-use pavilions on the Alliant Energy Center campus to Miron Construction, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced today. Pending approval of funds for the project by the Wisconsin State Building Commission and the Dane County Board of Supervisors, work is expected to begin in early 2014.
“The county continues to move forward on an exciting new chapter for our Alliant Energy Center,” said Parisi. “Thanks to public/private partnerships we’re able to construct new, larger facilities that are helping us keep longtime customers like World Dairy Expo and The Midwest Horse Fair in Dane County, and are generating potential new customers for our center.” Under the agreement, Miron will build the pavilions that will create 290,000 square feet of multi-use space on the footprint of the AEC’s existing, aging barns. Demolition of the barns is expected to begin next year, with the project’s estimated completion in time for the 2014 World Dairy Expo.
The total project cost is $23.86 million. The cost includes the price of the construction contract, a construction contingency fund, temporary barn facilities that will be used by customers while the new pavilions are being constructed, and animal stalls that will be installed in the new pavilions after the project has been completed.
Earlier this fall, Parisi’s administration negotiated a multi-million dollar naming rights deal for the facilities with New Holland Agriculture & Construction. This and other public/private funding partnerships with the State of Wisconsin, World Dairy Expo, the Midwest Horse Fair/Wisconsin Horse Council, and AEC food service provider Centerplate, respectively, have helped make the expansion possible.
The 2014 county budget also reflects the need to maximize the potential of the exciting new show space. Once the pavilions are completed, the task of marketing those state of the art new facilities across the country and the globe will take center stage.
Under a new partnership, initiated by the County Executive with the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), a $70,000 market study will identify potential new shows to bring to the pavilions. The county will provide $50,000 in funds, with the GMCVB contributing $20,000.
New shows mean new tourism dollars for Dane County’s regional economy. The promise of expanded facilities has already generated several proposals from customers who have never been to Dane County before. The market study will guide successful sales efforts in the future.
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