Modest upgrades, amenities important to event success at Civic Arena

By Riley Funk

Civic Arena has seen various improvements over the past few years, but even minor upgrades, like the latest approved projects, can make a difference when it comes to meeting standards for events.

The St. Joseph City Council approved Monday $9,785 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help purchase 60 team chairs to be used at the venue.

Brett Esely, executive director of the St. Joseph Sports Commission, said the purchase of these chairs may be an afterthought for some, but for standards in hosting events, it’s critical.

“Some people might look at that and say, ‘Padded bench chairs, why do we need padded bench chairs?’ Well, those are amenities and major venues that are hosting major events, that calls for that or that’s just pretty commonplace when you go into venues these days,” he said.

Chairs for the NCAA Elite Eight games at the Civic Arena will be provided by the NCAA. The chairs purchased will be used for other major sporting events at the site, including the MIAA Division II conference tournament and future Missouri State High School Activities Association Championships.

“It is an expectation now in a lot of athletic events that we are going to bring to St. Joseph, that’s just a commonplace amenity. It’s not the most expensive amenity in the building by far, but it’s a critical amenity to our events,” Esely said.

Once the order is put in for the chairs, Kempf anticipates they will arrive within 60 to 90 days.

The council also passed a bill to ensure $59,740 will go toward designs for the Civic Arena restroom renovation project.

Plumbing failures and leaking in the venue’s restrooms propelled the project.

Chuck Kempf, director of St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities, said it’s something that needs to be fixed to not have continuous worries while events are happening at the site.

“People don’t necessarily talk about restrooms as a point of importance when you’re talking about making improvements,” Kempf said. “In reality, when those are failing and those aren’t functioning properly, it’s a big deal.”

Kempf said the hope is to have the upper-level bathrooms, which are used by the majority of event-goers, ready by October 2024. He said the other bathrooms, including locker rooms and lower-level restrooms, can be worked on during the wintertime or the spring of 2025.

Once the project is done, Kempf said the arena will be in a better place. However, staying on top of renovations will be crucial.

“What we don’t want to happen is we don’t want to lose any events because of restroom renovations. We want to make sure that all the events are able to be held and take place,” Kempf said.

The city council passed both bills unanimously with an 8-0-0 vote at Monday night’s meeting.