La. Coliseum Authority Under Fire

The Coliseum in Alexandria, La., has fallen about $90,000 in arrears to the city on utilities bills, and some officials are suggesting a restructure or replacement of the authority that manages it.

Coliseum Executive Director Don Guillory disputes the amount owed on utilities, saying it’s closer to $47,000. He also says the Coliseum sometimes gets behind on its bills, but has always caught up.

Voters rejected a tax that would have provided $900,000 per year for Coliseum maintenance.

Rapides Parish officials were taken by surprise to learn of the arrears, and said more research is needed to find out why the bills weren’t paid before simply abolishing the Coliseum Authority and bringing in another facility manager.

One, Ollie Overton, described the the Coliseum as operating on a “respirator,” according to local news portal TheTownTalk.com. He said he is working on a project that could bring more funds into the facility, but declined to provide details.