CADILLAC -- It's new management that's bringing a new look to the Wexford County Civic Center.  Just three weeks ago, Conerly Management Group took over the operations at The Wex, including a $200 thousand facelift.

"We have done a lot of work to the interior as far as cleaning, scrubbing the bathrooms, replacing tiles on the floors.  We tore the kitchens apart, just totally sanitized them....I have a restaurant tour lady working for us who is taking care of our kitchens for us.  The menus are going to be much better, good solid food, healthy type food," says Joe Conerly.

For the past 20 years the Cadillac facility was in desperate need of improvements...ones that Conerly says new staff members are taking well beyond the inside.

"Here in the parking lot there's always a big lake here when it rains so we took care of that, put in a new drain field.  Excavators on the track, people painting the building, there's a lot of activity going on," says Conerly.

One of the big questions is what's happening with the recreational millage money that was approved during the last election.  Conerly says that's something he wants to make clear to Wexford County residents.

"That money does not go to me.  That money goes to repairing the buildings.  Now it's been 25 years that the county has had no funds whatsoever to fix things around here and I mean, the roofs leak, foundation problems...The millage money goes to all of those repairs.  Any monies going into the racetrack, cleaning payroll comes out of my pocket so I'm paying for all that," says Conerly

Conerly says a lot of the interior renovation costs also comes out of his pocket and not the county's.

"We want our county to be proud of the Civic Center.  This is a big deal. People look at us, that look at the Civic Center and that's how they form their opinion of people of Wexford County by looking at this facility.  So let's bring the pride back," says Conerly.

The management group's entire budget comes from events, rentals, concessions and personal savings.  They expect the entire project to be complete in two years.