The Branson Board of Aldermen last night appointed a committee to review convention center management bids and expanded its contract with World Wide Technology Inc. for computer equipment in the center.
Six members – Mike Booth, Rick Todd, Deborah Cohen, Mike Combs, Jerry Shackette and Bill Malinen – will guide the city’s decision on the next operator of the Branson Convention Center. Officials learned
earlier this year Hilton Management Services would end its contract to manage the city-owned convention center and the connected Hilton hotel, as well as the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing across the street.
Hotel property owner HCW Development Co. has hired Irving, Texas-based Pillar Hotels & Resorts LLC to manage the hotels beginning April 1, and city officials have targeted the same start date for its new convention center manager.
The city paid Hilton Worldwide Inc. $150,000 a year for management services, and the current contract ends March 31. Branson Economic Development Director Garrett Anderson said the city received three contract management bids by yesterday's deadline, and the city will continue to accept bids through next week. City staff plans to make its recommendation at the Feb. 25 Board of Aldermen meeting.
Hilton’s decision to end its contract also triggered the contract expansion for computer hardware, support and maintenance throughout the convention center. The board approved up to $250,000 in hardware purchases from World Wide Technology, effectively buying time as the city accepts bids and selects a new management company. The city’s contract with World Wide Technology expires June 30 and covers up to $50,000 in technology equipment.
Currently, Hilton shares its technology systems between the convention center and the connected Hilton hotel.
“There are factors that are unknown until a final management company is selected through the (requests for proposal) process and has performed necessary evaluations to provide a list of technology systems requirements,” the contract amendment bill reads.
Anderson has said representatives of Pillar Hotels & Resorts, HCW’s property manager of choice, are among the interested parties, and it could be cost effective for the city to split the technology costs across shared systems – as it did with Hilton.
Regardless, he said computer upgrades are due.
“It’s been seven years since it was all put in anyway, so it’s a good time in the life cycle of the machines,” Anderson said.
Other Branson Board of Aldermen meeting notes:
- The board voted down a $523,000 bid by Carson-Mitchell Inc. for two gateway features downtown as part of the larger streetscape improvement project underway. Noting Carson-Mitchell satisfactorily built the Branson RecPlex and is under contract for a multicounty biosolids project, city staff had recommended approval. Carson-Mitchell’s bid was the only bid received. Recognizing the bid was higher than projections, the aldermen directed city engineers to re-evaluate and rebid the work.
- Aldermen considered a bill to enter into the final year of a 10-year contract with Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co. to sell drinks at the city RecPlex concessions. The $23,500 contract is designed to be recouped through resale of products.
- The governing group considered a bill to amend its $35,000 communications maintenance and equipment contract with Radiophone Engineering Inc. and approve installation of roughly $30,000 in Zeltron radio equipment.
[[In-content Ad]]
