As losses pile up, Lansing looking for new management for Lansing Center, Jackson Field

LANSING — City officials are exploring new management for Jackson Field, the city's minor league baseball stadium, along with the Lansing Center convention hall and Groesbeck Golf Course.

A request for bids, issued Thursday, seeks a company to manage the properties for the city, which would remove Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority from those duties.

LEPFA will continue to have an oversight role in the future operations, but it could lose the day-to-day management and operations part of the contract.

Council member Peter Spadafore said the decision to seek proposals came from council discussions about potential management changes for the properties. The properties have not been financially self-sustaining in recent years.

The Lansing Center, the proposal said, is projected to bring in $6.2 million in 2025 with expenses of $7.9 million. The golf course is forecast to bring in $811,000 with expenses of about $900,000. The stadium costs the city about $574,000 per year.

LEPFA, which is both the operator and the manager of the city-owned properties, received $1.5 million from the city to support the three facilities last year: $800,000 for the convention center, $574,000 for the stadium and $78,000 for the golf course.

Spadafore said LEPFA would continue to manage the properties if they submit a proposal and win the bid, but he would expect to see some changes simply by having a competitive process.

"We want to kick the tires," Spadafore said. "See if there's savings or different ways of thinking. Any time there's a long-term relationship, we want to make sure we're getting the best deal."

He said potential savings would come from the new ideas and pressures from potential management teams, which could include a new LEPFA proposal as well.

Spadafore said the process will let the city keep the valuable assets for residents as well as to attract visitors to Lansing.

LEPFA board members will be part of the proposal evaluation team, which also includes others from the city, Choose Lansing (a convention center sales agency), the baseball team and an organization that hosts events at the Lansing Center. The contract does not identify the organization.

LEPFA President and CEO Tristan Wright did not respond to messages left Friday.

Proposals are due Oct. 3. Interested parties can ask questions during planned phone calls and there will be a site tour option. The contract is expected to start in January with the new service being delivered starting July 1, 2025.

The main criteria for managing the 71,000-square-foot convention center, 18-hole municipal golf course and stadium include:

• State of the art operations with an emphasis on exceptional customer service
• Facility maintenance to preserve the city's investment
• Operation and management of all activities

Companies have the option of submitting a proposal for a “full-service management agreement” approach or an “operating lease” approach, the RFP states.

"The City and LEPFA have made significant capital investment at each of these facilities and are looking to partner with firms or individuals that share its vision for maintaining and operating top quality public entertainment facilities," the request states.

Both the city and LEPFA are "political bodies corporate" according to the proposal and if either of them cannot fund the winning proposal, the city can back out of the deal within 30 days without incurring liability.

Regardless of which proposal is approved, LEPFA's board would continue to oversee the winning management team and the city would also have an oversight role. The RFP also suggests a new bid every five years going forward.

Earlier this year, council members rejected the potential sale of the golf course . Spadafore on Friday said he doesn't believe there'd be a single vote on council to sell any of the properties, but council members do expect to see changes.

Scott Bean, a spokesperson for Mayor Andy Schor, said the golf course management was put out for a bid in 2011 and was taken over by LEPFA in 2018. He said the city is not aware of any management bids for the other properties since LEPFA was created decades ago.

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415 .

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: As losses pile up, Lansing looking for new management for Lansing Center, Jackson Field