The final decision on what to do about the Lubbock Municipal Auditorium and Coliseum could soon rest in the hands of Lubbock residents. City Council is talking about it for the last time on Thursday before they send it to taxpayers for a vote.
The conversation is already heated, and there are still months to go before the vote will take place. Some people want the coliseum to stay, saying it is a Lubbock landmark. Others are ready to tear it down for a new facility or more parking.
“If you have something, be smart enough to take care of it. That’s what I think the City of Lubbock needs to do with all of our infrastructure,” said Maurice Stanley, who opposes abandoning the coliseum.
“I hope the City of Lubbock can vote to actually take it down. As far as I see, it’s served its purpose,” said Frankie Martinez, who wants to see the coliseum gone.
The decision won’t be easy. Lubbock is divided on what to do with the coliseum.
Martinez said it is taking more money than it is giving back to the city, but Stanley wants the city to take care of what it has instead of throwing it away.
If City Council approves the second vote on Thursday, its future will go to a vote by taxpayers on May 5.
Many are nervous that the vote could go the wrong way, saying the coliseum is just too meaningful to say goodbye to.
“When we first moved here in 1957 when I was a small kid, that’s the first building I really remember and I thought that was the grandest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s been around here all my adult life, I want to see it stay,” said Stanley.
However, many say the building is outdated, and Lubbock needs to move into the future.
“We see a lot in the professional stadium that they play for 30 or 40 years and then they tear it down ad build a new stadium. It’s served its purpose, and I hope voters of Lubbock can see that,” said Martinez.
If it is abandoned, some residents hope the land will either be used for a new facility or more parking for Texas Tech.
