During the County Commissioners’ discussion meeting on Thursday an issue arose that wasn’t on the agenda. With a cadre of Metra Park leadership in attendance, Commissioner John Ostlund explained that they were there to clear up rumors claiming that the commissioners were going to “privatize” the management of Metra Park. He said that the rumors, which were false, were contributing to low morale at Metra Park.
The issue stems from a contract the county commissioners, who administer Metra Park, entered into with a booking company, OBG. OBG is also known as a private management company.
The commissioners explained that the contract that they entered into with OBG, following a request for proposal, has only to do with booking new acts or concerts into Metra Park with the goal of increasing business and profit margins for Metra Park.
Commissioner Don Jones said that they have given OBG some open dates for the First Interstate Arena, which they will try to fill as they book events into other facilities in the region. The company has a lot of good connections in the industry, including with Live Nation, and it is hoped that they can bring events that MetraPark might not otherwise be able to get.
County Finance Director Kevan Bryan said that the terms of the contract are that once Metra Park has netted $1.5 million, they will split the proceeds at various stages until they gross another $300,000 in profits, at which point, they will split proceeds 50-50 with acts brought by OBG.
