Members of the board in charge of the Dome at America’s Center took first steps toward a possible merger with the region's tourism agency on Wednesday.
The Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority seeks to dissolve itself and merge with Explore St. Louis, the agency that currently organizes events at the Dome and runs America’s Center.
Board members say the move will bring management of the two conjoined complexes under one umbrella and improve the outlook for the Dome post-NFL.
After a closed session, members of the authority voted unanimously to move forward with the plan that would see the board cease to exist, while searching for new sustainable funding for the complex through different avenues.
The board of Explore St. Louis will consider a similar resolution this week that would steer the two boards toward a merger, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.
Legislative approval would be needed for such a merger to take place. The state created the board more than 30 years ago to plan the construction of the Dome, where the then St. Louis Rams played for just over two decades.
The resolution enables the RSA’s lobbyists to work toward a change in state law that would allow the merger.
RSA board secretary Joe Blanner said the plan came after a study of how other similar large-scale venues are performing and finding success in other major cities.
“The idea is to try to keep our facility in line with what our peers are doing, and hopefully create improvements that will increase the fan experience, but also allow us to generate more revenue,” Blanner said.
The resolution also calls for using the existing 3.5% hotel tax in the city and county to improve the complex once other debts have been paid off. Currently, those funds are used to pay off debt from an expansion to America’s Center.
“I think it's one of the most important decisions that we as a group will have ever made,” Blanner said of the plan.
Additionally, the resolution would see the future combined boards of the agencies enter into a long-term agreement with the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
The changes come at a difficult moment for the Dome. In the ten years since the Rams left for Los Angeles, the complex’s finances have struggled.
A recent state audit found the RSA has failed to adequately plan for future maintenance obligations for the building and that those needs far exceed the approximately $67 million available to the authority.
According to a facility condition assessment, the Dome will require $155 million in repairs over the next 10 years, but as of December 2023, the RSA’s fund balance was approximately $87 million, including $70 million in Rams settlement funds.
