The City of Kerrville is pursuing the possibility of constructing
a Convention Center.
Location considerations have been to build it downtown (after
the old Peterson Hospital is demolished), on top of the present
old Peterson Hospital parking garage (this was a suggested location
shortly after Peterson Regional Medical Center opened and the
old Peterson Hospital fate was in limbo) as well as located somewhere
outside of the downtown area.
Hunter Equity (consulting firm) has recommended
building the facility (now dubbed a "multi-use meeting facility"
- MMF) on either the Whiskey Springs property (northeast corner
of I-10 & Hwy 16) or the Gulf Coast property (southeast corner
of I-10 & Hwy 16). According to news reports, the new proposal
did not include retail shops - which were included on previous
proposals.
A committee formed by the city recommended a convention center
that would accommodate 2,500 people and cover 45,000 sq ft.
Construction was estimated at $11-15 million - that was for construction
of the facility alone. Infrastructure needs were not included
in those estimates (ie. street improvements, lighting, security,
water, parking, etc.)
Now, Pete Moore and his partner Scott Rohrman (the developers) project the
cost of the convention center facility alone to be $21-32 million
dollars. That's a 91-113% increase over the original
estimate ($11-15 million).
In addition, the square footage has increased from 45,000 to
53,000. That's an 18% increase over
the original size. The "Taj Majal" seems to be getting bigger
and more expensive.
To give you an idea of the size of 45,000 square feet, that
is approximately 1/2 of a standard city block (used by engineers
when planning).
The city's investment in the Convention Center (although no
funding was discussed in the December 14 Council Meeting) would
be funded out of EIC revenues. At one time it was estimated the city's
portion from EIC would amount to $650,000 a year spread over
20 years ($13,000,000 not including interest or other charges).
Logically, that investment would be more now that the total cost
of the Convention Center has increased.
Fredericksburg built a convention center a few years ago. It
is now closed and for sale. Llano was considering a Convention
Center but
it is doubtful that wll happen (concern about financing and extent
of use).
Does Kerrville / Kerr County really need a Convention
Center? That is for you to decide.
We urge you to email all councilmen about this issue and voice
your opinion. Their contact information is:
Mayor David Wampler - David.Wampler@Kerrvilletx.gov
Councilman Bruce Motheral - Place 1 - Bruce.Motheral@Kerrvilletx.gov
Councilman Stacie Keeble - Place 2 - Stacie.Keeble@Kerrvilletx.gov
Councilman Scott T. Gross - Place 3 - Scott.Gross@Kerrvilletx.gov
Councilman Gene Allen - Place 4 - Gene.Allen@Kerrvilletx.gov
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