This rendering shows the proposed renovation to the Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center.

From music to motocross, and (of course) an annual agricultural events slate filled with everything from barrel racing to 4-H to rodeos, there’s pretty much always something happening at the Cullman County Agricultural Center.

Built more than 40 years ago and unimproved since its 1982 construction, the Ag Center has no trouble keeping its events calendar filled. “It’s rented out a year in advance right now,” said Jeff Clemons, chairman of the Cullman County Commission.

But, Clemons adds, the Ag Center also has to turn away many event opportunities that align with its original agricultural purpose.

“As it stands now, our arena and floor space are just too small,” he said. “We can’t host racking horse events, which is a really big thing across Alabama, and we’d like to be able to have a nice venue for the annual senior Christmas event as well as space to host more activities that involve our local schools. Having a bigger concert space is also a priority.”

For the past year, the county commission has discussed expansion options for the aging venue, and last month, it took the first step toward making those plans a reality. The commission unanimously approved an agreement with Montgomery-based design firm JMR+H Architecture to begin design work on a thorough renovation and improvement project; one that would upgrade its outward appearance, install a flexible floor configuration, and expand the current facility’s seating capacity from 1,500 to 5,000.

“It has really needed this kind of facelift for a long time,” Clemons says, noting that a rejuvenated Ag Center can complement, rather than compete with, the expanding list of event offerings that the City of Cullman also is planning with the construction of its own new civic complex.

“If you look at the growth in Cullman County since the Ag Center was built, you see that it’s a really unique space for things that we’d like to be able to accommodate in a bigger and better way,” he said. “Cullman is an agricultural county, and an expansion like this will really increase our capacity to host more and bigger agricultural events. It’s in a great location and it’s already in demand pretty much all year ‘round. You’re always going to be able to rent it out, but this will let us really expand on those options.”

A rough early cost estimate frames the project as at least a $5 million expense, with officials hoping that sponsorships, potential federal funding, and other sources will augment the $1 million already set aside for the project from funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act. There’s no firm timeline for the facelift to see completion, though county officials hope to have design work finished and a window for site work to begin sometime before the end of 2024.