Our Opinion: Speak up on conference center plans

News Tribune editorial

A public hearing Monday evening may be the final opportunity to influence Jefferson City Council members before they vote on a conference center.

The hearing will be from 5:30-7 p.m. in the council chamber at City Hall. People who would like to address the council may contact the city clerk in advance - telephone 573-634-6311; email [email protected] or sign a sheet outside the council chamber door prior to the meeting.

Each speaker will be limited to three minutes.

Public comment will be preceded by a presentation on the two conference center proposals by Randy Allen, president of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce.

The proposals have changed - and become more detailed - since the council voted 6-4 in November to advance both plans for further consideration.

A proposal from the Jefferson City-based Farmer Development Co. includes a 61,000-square-foot conference center to be located within the Capital Mall, owned by the developer, with a 127-room hotel attached. The largest single room would be 40,000 square feet. The conference center cost is estimated at $14 million; the hotel would be just under $14 million.

A proposal from the Hannibal-based Ehrhardt Hospitality Group includes a nearly 45,000-square-foot conference center in the 300 block of West McCarty Street in the downtown area, with an attached 150-room hotel. The largest single room would be 30,000 square feet, with an additional 2,000 square feet of breakout space within the hotel. The cost of the conference center is $13.8 million and the hotel would cost $15 million.

The financing for each proposal is complex and includes lodging tax revenues and tax incentives. Details were outlined in a story in Wednesday's News Tribune.

The council has scheduled an April 7 vote on the conference center issue, which has been debated and discussed for decades.

How do you assess the potential risks and rewards of each proposal? Do you favor one over another, or would you reject both?

How the council decides this issue could affect you - taxpayers and constituents - for years to come.

We urge Jefferson City residents to become informed about the updated proposals and speak their minds at Monday's hearing.