The U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids will not be ready to host the girls state volleyball tournament this November, city officials told members of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union on Thursday.

Four top officials of the IGHSAU took a guided tour of the arena Thursday and met with city officials, including Mayor Ron Corbett and City Manager Jeff Pomeranz.

"We were officially told the arena will not be finished and will not be open for November of 2012," said Mike Dick, the executive director of the IGHSAU.

The U.S. Cellular Center is being remodeled and is currently closed for business. The 2011 state volleyball tournament was held at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena on a temporary basis and city officials have offered the Ice Arena as an alternate site again for the 2012 tournament. Dick did not rule it out, but was non-committal.

"We at least know the Ice Arena did work as a substitute venue," he said. "We know how it can be done and know it can work."

Dick was accompanied to Cedar Rapids Thursday by Karon Brown, the senior associate director of the IGHSAU, and by Lisa Brinkmeyer and John Overton, two assistant directors. Dick said the group will share the results of Thursday's trip with the IGHSAU Board of Directors, staff members and the volleyball advisory committee.

The Board of Directors will meet May 19 to discuss the issue and possibly make a decision about where to hold the 2012 tournament. The event is scheduled for Nov. 7-10, about six months away.

"We'll proceed as quickly as we can," said Dick.

The state volleyball tournament has been held in Cedar Rapids since 1991 and is considered important to Cedar Rapids, generating millions of dollars in revenue over the years.

"This is obviously a huge thing for Cedar Rapids," said Dick. "They're making every effort they possibly can to keep us in Cedar Rapids. They're going to do everything in their power."

Dick said no other cities have officially expressed interest in hosting the volleyball tournament this November, mostly because the IGHSAU did not know until Thursday that the U.S. Cellular Center would not be available while undergoing renovations.

The IGHSAU officials received a guided tour of the U.S. Cellular Center. The officials were shown what parts of the arena have been finished and which are still under construction as part of the progress report.

"They took us over and showed us around," said Dick. "It was an interesting morning."

The IGHSAU has a contract with Cedar Rapids to hold the state volleyball tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center through 2015. The IGHSAU agreed to hold the 2011 tournament at the Ice Arena on an interim basis and could do so again in 2012, then return to the U.S. Cellular Center in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

If the IGHSAU decides to hold the tournament in another city this November, it could terminate its contract with Cedar Rapids for future years, based on a breach of contract.