MADISON, Wis. — For decades, Veterans Memorial Coliseum has been the centerpiece of the Alliant Energy Center campus.
While the place holds fond memories for many in Madison, the aging facility hasn’t kept up with the times.
With $150 million in needed renovations to the Coliseum, Dane County leaders are considering a private partnership. In exchange for helping pay for the project, that private partner could potentially get exclusive booking rights or even take over operations.
“This looks and feels the same way it did when this building was opened,” Alliant Energy Center Executive Director Kevin Scheibler said during a media tour of the facility last month.
The Coliseum opened in 1967 when hosting concerts and sporting events looked a lot different than it does today. That’s why Scheibler said bringing the building back to its former glory is going to take some help.
“What that looks like, we’re not sure,” Scheibler explained. “A lot of it will depend on how much the partners are going to invest, and we as a county have to be open to all the options and evaluate everything, find out what is best for us to get this project moving forward.”
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