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Kittitas County Bowling Alley RFP 1 <br />Request for Proposals (RFP) <br />Kittitas County Bowling Alley/Festival Hall Development <br /> <br />Kittitas County issues this Request for <br />Proposals (RFP) for a lease, lease with option <br />to buy, or purchase for remodeling or <br />redeveloping the Bowling Alley (Rodeo Bowl) <br />structure and properties to be a multi -use <br />facility in accordance with the Kittitas Valley <br />Event Center (KVEC) Master Plan. <br /> <br />Potential <br /> <br />Kittitas County purchased the Bowling Alley <br />in 2015 as it was within the “footprint” of the <br />possible expansion of the KVEC Fairgrounds <br />property. The adopted 2016 KVEC Master Plan <br />describes the structure as a future Festival <br />Hall, intended to provide meeting/conference <br />room space that can be used for a wi de <br />variety of events during the Fair and also <br />during the rest of the year, with related <br />supporting amenities including a kitchen to <br />allow use as a banquet and party hall, and <br />any other reasonably compatible uses. <br /> <br />The Bowling Alley properties straddle the <br />boundaries of the KVEC (Kittitas County Fair <br />and Ellensburg Rodeo) and Central <br />Washington University (CWU), both of which <br />offer significant potentials. <br /> <br />Kittitas Valley Event Center (KVEC) <br />From the first organized Kittitas County Fair <br />in 1885 to the modern 5-day event held each <br />Labor Day weekend, the Fair has always been <br />about agriculture. Each year, as in 1923, the <br />KVEC hosts agricultural exhibits and <br />competitions, a 4-day rodeo, and a gathering <br />of Yakama Indians on the grounds. <br /> <br />The Ellensburg Rodeo opens every Labor Day <br />weekend along with the Kittitas County Fair. <br />The Ellensburg Rodeo has grown from a local <br />competition among ranch hands to the <br />professional event of today with over 500 <br />contestants and prize money in excess of <br />$250,000. Within the Pac ific Northwest the <br />Ellensburg Rodeo is second in size only to the <br />Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, and is <br />considered to be one of America’s top 25 <br />rodeos. <br /> <br />KVEC facilities are used year-round for a <br />variety of other activities including <br />equestrian competitions, arts and crafts <br />shows, parties and banquets, lectures and <br />presentations, and commercial promotions. <br /> <br />Major transportation corridors including I -90, <br />US-2, and US-12 to the west and east, and I - <br />82, I-182, and US-97 to the north and south, <br />defines KVEC’s market influence area. <br /> <br />I-90 is the primary market corridor since a <br />survey of attendees indicated 27% came from <br />western Washington and 4% from eastern <br />Washington. Central Washington’s 64% share <br />of attendees, by comparison, came from <br />Yakima, Kittitas, and Chelan Counties as well <br />as an extended draw from Grant, Douglas, <br />and Benton. The remaining 5% came from <br />Canada, California, Oregon, Idaho, and other <br />areas. <br /> <br />Fair and Rodeo attendance in 2019 was an <br />estimated 63,000 persons ranking KVEC 12th <br />in attendance statewide. <br /> <br />The population of the 9 counties in KVEC’s <br />primary market area will increase from <br />4,380,684 persons in 2015 to 5,362,956 <br />persons by 2040 or by 982,272 persons or <br />22%. <br /> <br />KVEC can expect to increase its annual Fair <br />and Rodeo attendance by similar percentages <br />over the forecast period if it’s activities and <br />programs remain attractive to event -goers, <br />competitive with other Washington fairs and <br />rodeos, and it’s facilities increase capacity, <br />functionality, and amenities in accordance <br />with the adopted 2016 KVEC Master Plan. <br /> <br />Central Washington University (CWU) <br />CWU’s 2019-2020 enrollment was 14,918 full <br />and part-time students including 900 post- <br />graduate degree students.