Chamber proposes taking over McAllen's money-losing convention center
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| McAllen Convention Center |
As you may or may not know, a few years back McAllen spent $62 million on a new convention center. As you can see now, it is not producing. These two paragraphs from the article say it all:
“When we’re giving it away free — meaning to any association that’s going to come down here and it doesn’t cost them anything to rent the facility, and we’re still being told ‘No’ — that tells me we’re in the wrong place,” said McAllen Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Ahlenius, speaking Tuesday night to the City Commission about the convention market.
In the past 18 months, three groups have rejected the convention center despite being offered free meeting space, said Nancy Millar, vice president of the McAllen Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The reason I post this, is that your city council, which is in the process of implementing a huge number of fee increases, has had a new convention center on it's mind for the last few years.
Why do you think they are trying to sell the Civic Center to LISD? In order to generate the need for a new convention center.
Now if the McAllen region, which we all honestly must agree, has many more things to do than the Laredo region, cannot make a convention center work, then how does the City of Laredo, and city council think that Laredo will make a convention center work?
Beware of Kell Nunoz and gang who have tried to sell the convention center idea in the past.
PS, watch out for city council when they try to convert the "1/4 cent Sports Venue Tax" to an economic development tax. I support that idea, but not if they are going to use that as a vehicle for a new convention center. So, if and when this idea comes up for a public vote, which is required by law, we must press the city council and get them to commit what the funds will and will not be used for.
Good point. The only reason I'd support the sale of the civic center to LISD is because LISD is landlocked and they could use it. I'd hate for them to exercise eminent domain to steal homes in the area to build whatever they want.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that there is anything that you can do at the civic center that you can't do at the arena. BUT NO MATTER WHAT, don't build more facilities!
I thought LISD wanted to by the Civic Center - not that the city wanted to sell the Civic Center?? Wasn't that the reason for overpricing it?
ReplyDeleteLISD did want to buy the Civic Center, and the city wanted to sell it, but the appraisal price came in too high for LISD, and the city could not lower it because the appraisal number became public, and they could not look like they were giving the CC away.
ReplyDeleteSo, now the city and LISD are kind of stuck. But keep an eye out here, as the city is trying to do everything they can do to get rid of the Civic Center so they can build a new convention center. Watch for Kell Nunoz to appear in the paper, and watch for talk about changing the "sports venue" tax to 4A/4B.
The sports venue tax is the 1/4 cent sales tax that can only be used for construction of the LEA and the ballpark. For the city to keep that tax in place after the buildings are paid off, they must go to the voters and get approval to change the tax. Currently, they are working on a 4a/4b type tax, that is really designed for economic development (which I support by the way), but they think they can use it for funding a new convention center. We must be vigilant in watching what they are up to.