Entertainment

La Crosse Center Board inspects arena to see what needs fixing

Published

5 years ago

February 13, 2019

Brad Williams

Many parts of the La Crosse Center are showing their age.

Members of the Center Board are checking some of the older corners of the 39-year-old building.

On Tuesday, the board checked out the main arena, guest dressing rooms and bathrooms.

Renovation consultant Kevin Bills led the board on a tour, saying some facilities need to be ADA-compliant.

The La Crosse Center is hoping to do a $42-million renovation in the next two years.

The arena section of the building still officially carries the name Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium, which was the name of the 1955 civic center that the current building replaced.

Retractable seats at floor level were installed within the last 15 years.

Many of the more permanent arena seats are originals, however, with torn upholstery that retains the building’s orange, red and purple color scheme.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.