Holland Civic Center Place will soon be under new management

Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel
·2 min read

HOLLAND — Holland Civic Center Place will have a new operator for the next five years.

Holland City Council voted against re-upping a contract with VenuWorks on Wednesday, March 6, instead approving a facility management agreement with Sports Facilities Management LLC.

The total cost for management services is $277,362 with additional operating costs for the facility at $113,330. The agreement includes an optional extension for five additional years.

The city's contract with VenuWorks expires June 20, after several years of tension between management and council.

VenuWorks was selected to manage the center in March 2017, prior to the completion of a $16.5 million renovation. At the time, Holland agreed to pay VenuWorks a total of $4,000 per month for pre-opening services, followed by $6,500 per month in regular management fees.

Holland Civic Center Place will have a new operator for the next five years.
Holland Civic Center Place will have a new operator for the next five years.

But instead of seeing high revenue and sales, the Civic Center often fell short of expectations. While several councilmembers on Wednesday admitted two years (2020 and 2021) were basically a wash due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were inarguably growing pains.

In September 2019, news broke of a $95,000 shortfall in the center's fiscal budget  — even after the city’s $719,000 subsidy to the venue. Several months later, council approved a one-time allocation to the center of $48,871.

“This better be the last time that a request comes before this body," then-Mayor Pro-Tem Myron Trethewey said. "I will vote it down any time in the future. We better turn this ship around and we better turn it around quickly. I don’t want to have this discussion again.”

More: Holland will seek other management options for Civic Center

In September 2023, council opted to issue a Request for Proposals, inviting VenuWorks to apply for consideration rather than awarding the company an automatic extension.

On Wednesday, City Manager Keith Van Beek said an eight-person panel, including representatives in various city roles, interviewed the three submitters — VenuWorks, Delta Pro Management Group and Sports Facilities Management.

The panel unanimously directed staff to pursue an agreement with SFM.

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In his report, Van Beek stressed the importance of the Civic Center’s vision statement — which, in part, emphasizes "that HCCP be the place most residents feel welcome and serve the broadest range of residents in a flexible and adaptable space.”

Creative Dining Services — which already works closely with Hope College and Gateway Mission — will serve as local subcontractor for food, beverage and related hospitality services.

“We are very excited about the future and working with you,” said Mayor Nathan Bocks.

— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland Civic Center to be managed by Sports Facilities Management LLC