Council approves funding for improvements and expansion at Will Rogers Memorial Center complex

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - The work of attracting and keeping some of the top equestrian events in the country is never done - and Tuesday night, City Council approved $2 million in appropriations for renovations that will keep the Will Rogers Memorial Center at the top of the list of venues and events.

The supplemental appropriation from the Culture and Tourism Fund - approved unanimously by council during its regular meeting - will back a number of improvement projects to help provide additional exhibit and meeting space.

Specifically, the project will provide new, flexible and climate-controlled vendor and meeting space in the northwest corner of the Richardson-Bass Building. The 8,500-square-foot expansion will meet the growing needs of the major equestrian shows, providing more vendor space and judges' lounges, as well as office, hospitality and meetings rooms.

The new space is nimble - with temporary air walls to allow the area to be divided for mixed use with vendor space and separate meeting rooms, or left open as one room - and its central location, in the middle of the equestrian facilities, provides easy access and improved visibility.

As part of the vote, Modern Contractors Inc. was awarded a $1.571 million contract for the project, which is expected to be complete by mid-2013.

Improvement and expansion projects have helped WRMC attract and keep a number of elite events, including the Appaloosa Horse Club, American Paint Horse Association, Reichert Celebration, Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show and many more.

Established in Fort Worth in 1936 to house events near downtown and in the Cultural District, the Will Rogers Memorial Center attracts more than two million visitors a year. It is host to an extensive variety of cultural, educational, recreational and sporting events and has become a premier destination for national and international equestrian events. For more information, visit www.WillRogersMemorialCenter.com

About the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau: The FWCVB is the official destination marketing organization of the 16th-largest city in the United States. The organization is dedicated to promoting Fort Worth as a premier business and leisure destination, with thriving centers of culture and commerce. For more information, visit www.FortWorth.com.