BLOOMINGTON - Several city aldermen say they are disgusted by the nearly $2 million loss recorded so far by the U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

A 10-month period starting with May 2006, the start of the city's current budget year, and running to the end of February, shows a loss of $1.8 million.

The Coliseum opened April 1, 2006, and Bloomington city officials note events there have attracted people who spend money at hotels and downtown businesses.

The monthly financial report for February, which was due March 25, was released Tuesday by the city after the Pantagraph filed a Freedom of Information Act request. The report also includes numbers for the fiscal year through February.

"A $2 million operating loss is not acceptable to me, and it's not acceptable to the public," Alderman Kevin Huette said. "A loss is not unexpected, but it is a huge disappointment when they said it would be a self-sufficient project."

The Coliseum recorded a $180,996 profit for April 2006. That number is not figured into the $1.8 million loss released in Tuesday's report because it is from a different budget year.

Coliseum spokesman Bryan Bloodworth said about $300,000 of the loss was for first-year, startup costs.

"We know we have to book more events," Bloodworth said. "In the first year, we've been working to establish a reputation in the industry to show them what we can do, and that will translate into more events and more money coming in."

Alderman J. "Skip" Crawford said he was disgusted by the loss.

"I'm not surprised at all, but I'm disgusted," Crawford said. "The people didn't want it in the first place, and I never bought into the projections that it would pay for itself."

Bud Hall, a local developer and businessman who helped organize an advisory referendum on whether the Coliseum should be built, said he was not surprised by the loss. About two-thirds of those voting in the March 2004 referendum said they did not want the Coliseum built.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," Hall said. "The $2 million is going to be a steep hill to climb. Hopefully, they can find ways to get events in the building that will bring in more people."

Huette, Crawford, Jim Finnegan and Karen Schmidt voted against building the arena when the council approved it 5-4 in January 2004.

Alderman Mike Matejka, the only member remaining on the council who voted for the arena, said he has been frustrated at the lack of financial reporting given to the city and council. Central Illinois Arena Management, the firm operating the Coliseum, is required by its contract with the city to provide monthly financial reports.

Matejka and Huette said they have been trying since December to get financial information.

"This is supposed to be a transparent operation," Matejka said. "Maybe if we had been getting the numbers regularly, we could have tracked expenses and made adjustments before it got to this point."

Finnegan said the loss is certainly disappointing but he is more frustrated by the lack of reports.

"This shouldn't be happening again with these reports being late," Finnegan said. "Everything is new, and there are going to be problems. Well, let's get them worked out and move forward so we can reduce this loss as much as possible."

While the financial reporting and loss were a common frustration among aldermen, most said they have been pleased by the attendance and the variety of events held at the building.

Crystal Howard, director of Bloomington-Normal Convention and Visitors bureau, said staff estimated three conventions held last year generated about $1.5 million in revenue for the area in hotels and extra spending. Using a state-estimated formula, Howard said the W. Newell convention brought in $122,000; the Illinois High School Association's cheerleading finals brought in about $900,000; and the Jehovah's Witnesses convention brought in about $435,000.

"In all the groups mentioned, they had a great experience," Howard said. "A lot of it has to do with the service they got and the building. So it is working."

With total attendance of about 306,000 for 103 events, City Manager Tom Hamilton said the Coliseum is generating traffic for downtown Bloomington.

Hamilton said staff and the council will meet with Coliseum managers to discuss operations and how the loss can be reduced or eliminated in the coming years. A date for that meeting has not been set.