Officials in Jefferson City are laying out the details of the ongoing proposal for a new conference center in Jefferson City. The city's conference center plan is estimated to cost around $9 million.
At its council meeting last night, city councilmember Ralph Bray said the outcome of the project largely depends on the affordability and projected revenue of the facility. “I suppose it’ll come down to whether or not we can afford what we want and whether or not the developer can make money on the development and those are two huge questions,” Bray said.
The city’s consulting firm investigating the conference center plan projects revenues of around $1 million in the first year.
Councilmember Larry Henry, Jr. says he has some concerns with the new project and the consequences of its possible high costs: “Some of the concerns I still have at this time is location," he said, "and then also whether or not the city is going to be asked for a possible subsidy.”
The size and location of the proposed conference center are still under discussion. But city officials are considering locations downtown and near the Capital Mall. The new facility is intended to equip Jefferson City with more meeting space to house large conventions and tradeshows.
Council members expect to have a final decision on the plan by the end of October.
