More than an hour long discussion on two potential sites for a proposed conference center did not result in a decision on either site and instead led to a request by Mayor Eric Struemph for proposals on both sites before the council moves forward.
At a special City Council meeting Monday devoted solely to the proposed conference center, council members looked at building designs for both a site on the 200 block of West McCarty Street and at the Missouri State Penitentiary.
Randy Allen, Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, presented an overview of findings from the Old Town Redevelopment action team, which was one of nine teams formed through the chamber's economic development strategic plan "Transformation." The action team had a subcommittee, which focused only on the proposed conference center, an idea discussed within the city for years.
Cary Gampher, with Architects Alliance, presented designs the firm had come up with for both sites, each incorporating equal amounts of space to "compare apples to apples."