Ector County Judge declares sale of Ector County Coliseum ‘DOA’

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - In July 2022, the Ector County Commissioners’ Court voted 3-to-2 to explore the possible sale of the Ector County Coliseum to an out-of-state company.

The court entered into a six-month brokerage contract to explore that sale that expired on Jan. 26.

The possible sale of the Coliseum took residents by surprise.

“I think it was done poorly in a sense that scared people,” said Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, who was not on the court at the time of the original vote.

It’s the unknown that was scary. Questions flowed to the commissioners. Would the building be demolished? Would companies and non-profits who rented the building and its annexes be priced out?

It turns out all those worries were for naught.

The contract between Ector County and John Herriage of Copper Key Realty attempted to look into selling the Coliseum. Herriage declined to comment but did say resident backlash played a role in negotiations never getting off the ground. The mystery company, an unnamed entity out of Florida, backed out.

“It never got to a level of seriousness, in my opinion, that warranted what took place,” said Fawcett, who believes Herriage was trying to ensure Ector County wasn’t taken advantage of in a potential sale.

Fawcett’s first clue that the deal wasn’t realistic? A $25 million price tag that was remarkably similar to the $24 million price for a proposed juvenile detention center.

“We can’t even build a juvenile facility, which is a fraction of the acreage, a fraction of the size of this facility, for $24 million,” Fawcett said.

Some questions still linger. Fawcett doesn’t know why the sale of such a popular spot was brought up in the first place. But it’s all moot now as long he has a say in the Coliseum’s future.

“It’s DOA,” Fawcett said. “The Coliseum will not be sold as long as I am county judge.”

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