Upgrade opens auditorium to expanded uses

McCOOK, Neb. — City leaders hope a new winch system at Memorial Auditorium will end a downward trend in the number of wedding events hosted at the venue. The McCook City Council unanimously approved a request to install the equipment during last week’s regularly scheduled meeting.

The winch system will primarily be used to raise and lower false ceilings and other decor in the popular venue.

City Manager Nate Schneider, a full-time attorney prior to taking over as City Manager in 2014, indicated city officials were concerned the previous winch system presented liability issues and subsequently banned its use. He said the old system consisted of a homemade hoop that was raised and lowered manually by city employees.

“The decision was made internally to discontinue using that until something could be designed. I think they hung banners and stuff like that off it. I didn’t want to do anything that wasn’t engineered and approved,” said Schneider.

Schneider said city officials were discussing the possibility of a liability waiver for users of the new winch system, which would also provide weight restrictions. He indicated those talks were in the early phases and the possibility of attaching an additional fee was similarly being considered.

“We really haven’t thought a whole lot about that yet. Right now, I don’t even know what we’re charging for the auditorium,” said Schneider.

The McCook Area Chamber of Commerce is spearheading a fundraising effort to cover the expense of installing the winch and Schneider said “substantial in-roads on funding” had already been made.

Chamber Executive Director Jamie Mockry said the chamber hoped that any extra fees charged for the use of the winch could be put aside for maintenance, upkeep and eventual replacement costs. City leaders offered no input on Mockry’s suggestion during last week’s meeting but City Council did provide unanimous approval for the chamber to install the winch.

The project is estimated to cost $4,650 to complete and Mockry indicated roughly $2,600 had already been raised, including $1,500 from the Red Willow County Visitor’s Board. He said the chamber was contributing $500 and another $600 in private donations was received from two families. Mockry said he was also waiting to hear back on an application for a $1,500 grant request through the McCook Community Foundation.

Weathercraft is donating time and labor to cover $650 in welding and installation expenses and city staff plan to do electrical work for the project themselves, according to background information provided to City Council.

The city isn’t anticipated to contribute funds to the project but Schneider did lend his support for the Red Willow County Visitor’s Board to contribute lodging taxes to the project via letter. The letter also indicated the city’s ban of the previous winch system may have led to a 30 percent reduction in wedding rentals at the auditorium over the past year. “The city has received complaints that the lack of decorating options has impacted the desirability to rent the facility,” according to Schneider’s letter.

The McCook Area Chamber of Commerce has been a longtime supporter of Memorial Auditorium dating back to the building's construction in 1939. City Council called a special election in 1938 as a result of a petition sponsored by the chamber, which led to voters approving $50,000 in municipal bonds for the city’s share of construction costs. The bond issue carried 1,197 to 583, a 67 percent majority, according to the City of McCook website.

The auditorium has been a popular venue since its construction and serves as a memorial to all veterans.

“Construction of the McCook Memorial Auditorium was completed in 1939 and was the accomplishment of a long-cherished goal of the citizens of McCook. The first efforts in building the auditorium failed in the 1890s and, periodically, the matter was brought up but, for various reasons did not materialize. The auditorium was finally completed in 1939 and dedicated as a memorial to veterans of all wars,” according to the city website.

The land the auditorium sits on was originally purchased from John E. Kelley for $1,000. Chris Hansen Post No. 203, American Legion donated $960 for the purchase.

In 2005 another citizen-led effort raised more than $45,000 to replace wooden benches in the balcony of the auditorium with 534 stadium seats.