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Corn Palace expansion unlikelyPIERRE, S.D. (AP)--A committee studying ways to expand Mitchell's arena space has ruled out renovating or enlarging the Corn Palace, or adding a second arena to its north side. But the committee will consider the feasibility of adding an arena to the south or east of the Corn Palace. Those proposals could include skywalks to the Corn Palace. It's been determined that renovation of the building would not gain enough seats or floor space to be worthwhile. A renovation would increase the Palace to 3,800 seats and 14,400 square feet of floor space. Corn Palace Director Mark Schilling says that wouldn't attract any additional athletic events. The committee's goal is an arena with at least 5,000 seats and 30,000 square feet of floor space. One way to achieve that goal would be to build a new arena next to the Corn Palace, but such a facility would not fit in the available space to the north. Schilling says enlarging the building isn't practical because removal of the ceiling would leave it open to the elements for 12 to 18 months. "While the space to the north might work for a bowling alley, because it's a long rectangle going east to west, it won't work for a special event center," says Mitchell Mayor Lou Sebert. "What we need is a large square, and it wouldn't fit to the north of the Corn Palace without closing Seventh Avenue." The desire for more arena space in Mitchell was fueled by the South Dakota High School Activities Association's 2005 determination that the Corn Palace was too small to host future state high school athletic tournaments. In September 2007, Mitchell voters rejected a property tax increase that would have helped fund the construction of a $25 million arena along the state Highway 37 bypass in the northern part of the city. Since then, three committees have been working to formulate a new proposal to expand the city's arena space. The Building Committee is the one studying the Corn Palace. The other committees are the Finance Committee and the Events and Information Committee. Lepke has said the Building Committee is working with a total project budget of $15 million, which is what he said the city can afford to spend without raising taxes. 12/15/08 Date: 12/10/08 Advertisement
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