City seeks conference center plans in October

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Requests for proposals on the latest conference center concept likely will go out in October, after the Jefferson City Council signs off on what staff has put together.

In late May, the City Council directed staff to begin drafting RFPs for the conference center concept detailed by Mayor Eric Struemph during the city’s town hall meetings last spring.

The concept would be a simple exhibition hall next to a hotel, either an existing hotel or a new hotel paid for by a developer, in a public-private partnership where the hotelier would run both the hotel and conference center, getting all the profits and absorbing all the losses.

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tigger2118c 9 months, 1 week ago

I've got an idea for the city

youtube.com/watch?v=gWL90wryyOw

gsbcmo 9 months, 1 week ago

Sounds to me like you pig headed JCites are finally accepting an idea that was floated 10 years ago by the Hammon Group. What's the matter, you couldn't tolerate that an idea from an outsider was right then but you reinvent it and claim it now as your own?

If you had accepted it when Hammon wanted to build it then, you would already have had it and prospered for 10 years by the business. But oh no, the greedy cabal that runs downtown is more interested in their own skins, not the betterment of the community.

rodinman 9 months, 1 week ago

Actually been talked about for over 80 years. Yet no person, company or conglomerate has seen enough upside (profitability) to build one yet our city council thinks this is a good idea. Can you spell bankruptcy.

JCLifer 9 months, 1 week ago

I am astonished.

Problems with understanding and learning?

Plain stubborn?

tonto_goldberg 9 months, 1 week ago

You shouldn't be astonished if you are a lifer here. This is the normal status around here. Voters say "NO!", city government says "Well, how about we build a conference center anyhow?"

There is a definite problems with understanding the clear expression of voter sentiment. The probabability of stubbornness is quite high as well.

Crump 9 months, 1 week ago

The city fathers are slow learners. How many times have they tried to pass this lunacy in the past. Time for a major change at city hall.

hudson 9 months, 1 week ago

NO !

wow 9 months, 1 week ago

I thought the voter's already voted this out. No wonder the Casino advocates won't go away....the Convention Center folks are just as bad or worse. "No: means "No"..
Thing is the "no" the Casino's is harder for me to understand, than "No" to the Convention Center. At least the Casino would bring in some jobs and revenue....but the Conventiuon Center would just be another unused building in Jeff. Oh well.....it is what it is.

centerguy56 9 months, 1 week ago

Thanks CityGuy!!!!

RobHunterJohnson 9 months, 1 week ago

Does the city buy the property? Thats it? How about the Health lab site, The Bassman Parking garage, and Q Hammons Hotel. Good old highway 50/63 to exit. Rob

kentheco 9 months, 1 week ago

The city won’t want property near an existing highway, that way they can get the taxpayers to build another interchange. Maybe the state/city can build another one like the Highway 50/Highway 179 interchange, or better yet, more traffic circles, like on Stadium.

JCLifer 9 months, 1 week ago

30,000-40,000 square feet doesn't sound very large. That size will probably just take business away from other local hotels like Capital Plaza or Truman hotel. Seems like we could use something much larger with an indoor all-purpose arena so that local people could benefit from things like car shows, auctions, gun shows, music concerts, etc.

As for a hotel, good luck. The current occupancy rates are so low there is obviously no need for another hotel. Any hotel built with this taxpayer money will just put another existing hotel out of business.

If a private developer wants to do it, that is great. However, sinking tax dollars into something that will just compete and put others out of business doesn't seem fair.

melbrooks 9 months, 1 week ago

Capitol Plaza's ballroom is 12,000 square feet and has no exhibition space. It does have smaller meeting rooms nearby, but they are in use with most conferences and thus not available for exhibitors (and aren't large enough for large items such as boats and cars, etc. The Truman Hotel's facilities are much smaller and spread out, and their largest ballroom is 6,000 square feet.

As Cityguy has noted (and has been detailed in the News Tribune numerous times), voters passed an increase in the lodging tax in February of 2008 which was specifically earmarked for a conference center. I have to wonder why this fact must be repeated so often.

JCsleeper 9 months, 1 week ago

Smells like another tax proposal.

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