Pueblo Bulls get approval to sell liquor in bid to expand entertainment offerings at arena
Pueblo Bulls Hockey Club on Monday received approval from the City Council to sell liquor at the Pueblo Ice Arena as part of a plan to expand events and boost revenue.
It is the first of two steps the Bulls need to take to serve liquor during hockey games and other events. The club had already been selling beer since 2018, when the team started playing at the arena at 100 N. Grand Ave.
The second step is to receive state approval to serve liquor, which may happen later this year before the start of next season, said Jerry Wilhite, owner of the Pueblo Bulls.
The club would be barred from serving liquor or beer during youth programs or events and must abide by other rules from the city and state.
The latest approval joins a list of moves that the club has planned to turn the Pueblo Ice Arena into a multi-purpose facility. The city and club entered into a lease and management agreement last September that allowed the club to manage, operate and promote the arena. Tuesday's vote simply added an amendment to the lease.
The club, outside of its junior league season, wants to host bull and sheep riding, concerts and mixed martial arts events. Boxing card sales, trade shows and expos, proms and other events also could be held at the facility.
City officials are looking for ways that the arena can pay for itself. Pueblo in previous years had netted $270,000 annually in profit from the arena but paid $300,000 to cover the facility's expenses.
More: Pueblo Bulls want to turn the local ice arena into a multi-purpose facility
New events could happen this summer
Already, the club has scheduled a concert during the first week in August, Wilhite said.
But 23 other projects remain to be completed to give the arena a makeover, which includes a new layout.
Wilhite said the club is “well ahead of schedule” with the plans it made when it took over the facility last year.
“We just got committed to it and are making it happen,” Wilhite said. “The bottom line is its funding, and reality is we had a great year this year.”
The club this past season had sellouts for each of its Friday and Saturday night games and turned inventory almost every month during the season at its apparel store on 310 W. Fourth St., Wilhite said.
“We couldn’t have picked a better city,” Wilhite said. “The city has been responsive from the mayor, city council, sponsorships, the fan base and the youth. The city has welcomed us with open arms.”
As of Tuesday, it had sold 67% of its season tickets for next year’s campaign, which will be the first for the club in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), a Tier II league that’s a step up from the Tier III (Premier Conference) league it has played in since 2018.
The NCDC is considered a pathway to college hockey, most notably at the NCAA Division I level. It also can serve as a feeder program for the National Hockey League.
In April, the club began to remodel some parts of the venue, including the bathrooms and concession stand. It recarpeted the building, bought a rink floor to help capitalize on its multi-purpose ideas, invested $15,000 for a new scoreboard and plans to add a girls' locker room.
Part of the club’s community focus is on the Pueblo youth who are interested in hockey. At a recent camp for girls, more than 30 showed up and it has between 80 to 100 kids participating in its spring camp.
The club has also moved around some of its seating and added lofts to some sections to help improve capacity.
“I think the city is just starved for entertainment and we’re going to do everything we can to bring as much good entertainment as we can to the city because the city supports it,” Wilhite said.
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Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Bulls get OK to sell liquor; eye more entertainment at ice arena
