Garrett Coliseum gets new life with $12 million grant

A view of Garrett Coliseum in 1956 when the building was relatively new. It has a similar look today but a grant from Alabama Power may change that. (Contributed)

By TIM GAYLE

After nearly a year of delay, the project to renovate Garrett Coliseum now appears to be back on track, fueled by a $12 million agreement with Alabama Power Company to provide a new electrical source as well as heating and air conditioning to the 72-year-old facility.

“That’s what we’ve been doing since December,” said Montgomery City Council President Charles Jinright, a member of the Garrett Coliseum Redevelopment Board. “The virus came along in February and the mayor got focused on that. Since that time, it’s been up and down. At this point, we have signed a contract with the state and they have provided some funding to remodel the coliseum. We have signed a letter of intent with Alabama Power Company for them to decide if they can come in and put a new power system in here.”

Garrett Coliseum is managed by a 10-member board that includes the mayor, the city council president, the county commissioner, the governor, the state agriculture commissioner, the state finance director, the executive director of the SLE Rodeo and three other members appointed by the governor. Talks that have been ongoing about the transfer of the property from the state to the city have been sidetracked at times as five of the seven regular members have been replaced.

Jinright, who was appointed by former mayor Todd Strange as the chairman of the city’s version of the Garrett Coliseum Redevelopment Board (whenever the deal is finalized), admits the former mayor’s vision for the coliseum was obscured at times.

“I’ve wanted to give up,” Jinright said. “Because it’s been difficult. A lot of days, it isn’t worth it. Then I run into somebody who’s been a part of (the coliseum) for years and they’re like, ‘We’ve got to have it.’”

Officials had reached an agreement to transfer the coliseum and its acreage from the state to the city – along with a sizeable donation for renovation efforts – before Strange left office last November. The deal couldn’t be completed and new mayor Steven Reed let the issue drop as many feared Reed’s political agenda would steer him away from any plans to renovate the coliseum.

“I think educating the new mayor was a big factor,” Jinright said. “We’re talking about a commitment from the city to be involved – him buying a pig in a poke and not knowing. It’s not an expensive situation but the reality of the situation is revenue in the city is down. How can he commit to something new when revenue is down? So we’re having to work through those things.”

Meanwhile, agriculture commissioner John McMillan, a huge proponent of renovating the coliseum, was replaced by Rick Pate; Kay Ivey took charge as the state’s governor; Kelly Butler took over as finance director from Clinton Carter; and Erin Beasley replaced the retiring Billy Powell as executive director of the SLE Rodeo.

The deal may have fallen through if not for Alabama Power Company, which sent a team of engineers to conduct a feasibility study on upgrading the facility. Their positive report included a $12 million renovation plan that the city can repay through its monthly power bill, which will be positively affected with a new energy efficient power system and LED lighting throughout the facility.  

“The beauty of it, to me, is you’ve got somebody the quality of the power company looking at this,” Jinright said. “They brought in their engineers from Washington, D.C., that looked at it and said we think it’s the right thing to do. We were waiting on somebody. From my standpoint, I love it but I don’t know if it’s a good deal or not. When a bunch of engineers come in and say we can make it work, then they come back and commit money to it…”

The original power system was built in 1946 and placed in the facility two years later when construction started.

“They looked at the main board that controls all of the power,” Jinright said. “They looked at it and said, ‘I don’t know how it’s working. It’s working but it shouldn’t be working.”’

The transfer of the property deed from the state to the city requires consolidation of the property into one owner, which Jinright said is nearing completion. The coliseum sits on 110 acres that is divided into six tracts with five different property owners, including one that cannot be traced.

“The mayor signed a letter of intent with (Alabama Power Company) two weeks ago and they’ve started the process of deciding how they’re going to do it,” Jinright said. “We’ve already done survey work on this. You can totally remodel this place for $20 million and that includes new barns and a new parking lot. The reality is you can get the power system in here, a $4-5 million package with new lighting and a new sound system.”

The coliseum renovation, much like the renovation of Cramton Bowl, likely will be divided into phases. Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood have designed and reworked architectural models over the years, but now Alabama Power Company’s engineers will determine the best model for renovation.  

“When they look at a power system and air conditioning, they’ll look and decide if you need new windows and all that stuff,” Jinright said. “Because this place is old.”

Garrett Coliseum may jump to the top of the renovation list because of Alabama Power Company’s involvement but the Capital City has a long list of outdated sports facilities that are in dire need of upgrades if the city has any hope of securing future contracts to host events.

Cramton Bowl, part of a huge renovation project completed in 2011, remains unfinished as renovation work to add restroom and concession facilities to the East grandstands are vital in hosting the Camellia Bowl and any other major sporting events. 

Paterson Field, completed in 1949, has had some cosmetic work that includes a new entrance and parking lot, but the facility remains largely untouched since additions were made in 1985 for the Division II Baseball Championships. Securing future contracts with the Alabama High School Athletic Association, the Alabama Independent School Association and other organizations requires a commitment from the city to modernize the 71-year-old facility.

Lagoon Park Softball Complex, which opened in the late 1970s, was on Strange’s list for renovation work that was dropped when he left office. New dugouts were added to Field 6, which was added to the facility in the late 1990s, but the facility remains hopelessly outdated in virtually every aspect when it comes to securing contracts with AHSAA and AISA officials as well as USA Softball. 

The efforts to modernize the coliseum, long overdue, may have benefitted from the addition of the AHSAA basketball regionals the past two year and the AHSAA South Super Section wrestling tournament the last three years. There have been discussions for several years to create a basketball tournament in conjunction with the Camellia Bowl – similar to the Blue-Gray tournament that preceded the annual all-star football game at Cramton Bowl – and possibly bringing other basketball tournaments to the arena, but the antiquated facilities have been a drawback.  

The State Coliseum was billed as “one of the architectural wonders of the world” and the “largest enclosed arena in the world” when ground was broken on Aug. 31, 1948. Among those on hand for the groundbreaking were state Sen. J. Bruce Henderson of Wilcox County and state Rep. W.W. Garrett of Uriah, two men instrumental in its creation. The coliseum was renamed in 1963 for Garrett, chairman of the first Agricultural Center Board.

Architect Chris Sherlock of Sherlock, Smith and Adams was on hand as well and his architectural design earned awards before the building was created. The $2.85 million building was constructed over a five-year period and held its first event before it was completed, a concert featuring Hank Williams, Hank Snow, the Carter Sisters and “Big Bill” Lister on July 15,1951.

The 8,525-seat building was dedicated on Oct. 20, 1953 and within two months was holding its first sports event, a doubleheader basketball game between Sidney Lanier and Eufaula preceding a college matchup between Auburn and Georgia Tech on Dec. 11, 1953 in front of 4,000 fans. 

Over the years, the coliseum played host to some of the greatest basketball games in that era as both Alabama and Auburn made annual treks to the city – the first of 26 meetings between the two at Garrett took place on Jan. 15, 1955 -- as well as the Montgomery Invitational (later Blue-Gray) Tournament starting in 1953. The state Golden Gloves Tournament was held in the facility starting in early 1954. The Alabama High School Athletic Association state indoor track meet later found a home in the facility as well as the Coliseum Relays, which would eventually be renamed the Southeastern Conference Indoor Meet.

For Jinright and other city officials, the coliseum has a huge draw as an entertainment venue, drawing in concerts from Elvis Presley, Elton John and Prince, among others. The coliseum’s lack of air conditioning was among the factors that led many of those events to move to other locations. Too, there is no handicapped seating, which will require the addition of an elevator at the site. 

The acoustics will be addressed by the engineers as well with the addition of a new floor and ceiling. The concrete floor will be replaced to improve the acoustics, while a new drop ceiling likely will be installed for the same reason and will cover the heating and air conditioning ductwork. The renovated coliseum will eliminate some of the seating (for concerts), reducing the facility from 8,500 seats (not counting chairs on the floor) to 7,000 or less.