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Outsource Pitch for KC Convention Spots

Bartle Hall convention center.
photo courtesy of MoDOT
Bartle Hall convention center.

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-958738.mp3

KANSAS CITY, MO. – The men and women who do maintenance work at Kansas City's convention buildings are city employees and always have been. That may change, as budget cutters wrestle with ways to save money.

Convention facilities management are asking the City Council to put out feelers to private companies to take over maintenance at venues such as Kemper Arena and Bartle Hall. Because it might save $550 thousand a year. And, as Convention and Entertainment Facilities Manager Oscar Megaski told a Council committee, there are bigger money problems in his agency-- " we've got about $6 million worth of projects between Convention Center and American Royal Complex that need to be done. But we don't have funds to do it."

Parceling out convention and entertainment center maintenance would send 11 employees into other jobs and two supervisors would be fired. Acting City Manager Troy Schulte wants to see what proposals come in. In his words, staff ( would like) "to go through that procurement to see if there are indeed the savings that would warrant an outsourcing. " A decision would then go to the Council for discussion.

Megaski says there's nothing new about outsourcing in convention facilities. It's down now for electrical, food service, internet and audio visual.

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