ST. LOUIS 鈥 A study on the downtown convention center expansion is complete and set to be delivered to the 50度灰视频 County Council on Friday, a development the region鈥檚 tourism agency hopes will finally spur the council to approve issuing the county鈥檚 share of bonds for a project mired in political uncertainty.
鈥淭here鈥檚 absolutely no reason for any holdup beyond that,鈥 Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the Convention and Visitors Commission, also known as Explore 50度灰视频, said during the group鈥檚 regular board meeting Wednesday.
More than a year after the city closed on the sale of bonds for its half of the $210 million expansion and rehab of America鈥檚 Center, 50度灰视频 County has balked at issuing its half of bonds amid a dispute over the financing of a recreation center in north 50度灰视频 County. Meanwhile, a major construction contract for the project is already out to bid.
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The city鈥檚 Board of Public Service, which is handling the construction bids, initially delayed issuing a request for bids for the first half of the project amid the uncertainty over when the county would move.
But just before Christmas, a working group of city and county officials approved putting the project鈥檚 first half 鈥 an $83 million expansion of exhibit hall space along Cole Street on the site of a recently demolished parking garage 鈥 out to bid. Contractor responses are due March 1, and a contractor should be chosen by early May.
鈥淲e had planned that we would already have selected the general contractor for project one,鈥 Ratcliffe said. 鈥淭hat was held up by the County Council conversations. But the city did finally decide to move ahead and get it out on the street.鈥
Final construction drawings for the second half of the project 鈥 construction of a new public plaza on surface lots along Convention Plaza and a new ballroom inside America鈥檚 Center 鈥 should be complete next month and go out to bid in April, Ratcliffe said.
But that second piece still needs financing from the county, and there鈥檚 been no indication that Councilwoman Rita Days, chair of the County Council, is ready to allow a vote. Days says the CVC needs to make good on what she sees as a deal made with her predecessor, the late Hazel Erby, to build a rec center in North County. But Ratcliffe has said the deal was only for the CVC to help fund the project with excess hotel taxes, not to design or build it.
And county budget officials have said the pandemic hit to hotel taxes means it will be years before there is any excess to use for a new project.
Amid the back-and-forth discussions, Councilman Ernie Trakas in November asked for the cost-benefit study of the convention center from the 50度灰视频 Economic Development Partnership, the 50度灰视频 County-focused economic development agency.
A spokeswoman for the agency, Kristin Lappin, confirmed the study is complete and the agency plans to deliver it to the council Friday but declined to release any details until the County Council has a chance to review it.
Days said in an interview that she hadn鈥檛 seen the study or heard from Ratcliffe. She wasn鈥檛 ready to move forward with the expansion funding, she said, because she had yet to secure enough money for the recreation center.
鈥淲e are still working on our end to make sure we have the appropriate funding in place for the North County recreation center,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat has been my focus all along.鈥
After the County Council was told in November that there won鈥檛 be any excess hotel-motel tax revenue to fund the rec center project for at least three years, Days called for the county to back the project with a portion of its proceeds from a settlement with the NFL and Los Angeles Rams. The county, city of 50度灰视频 and Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority are still negotiating how to divvy up the roughly $500 million.
Pat White, who heads the 50度灰视频 Labor Council, said he has a Monday meeting scheduled with Days, and the convention center is on the agenda. Organized labor is very supportive of the project, not only for the construction jobs but because its members work in hotels, staff events and set up stages and lighting.
鈥淲e certainly want to be competitive in that market,鈥 White said of the convention business.
The delay is disrupting conventions that had planned for the project to be complete by the fall of 2023. Telling groups 50度灰视频 can no longer accommodate them hurts the region鈥檚 reputation, Ratcliffe said.
Asked by a board member if the overall project could still be complete by the end of 2023, Ratcliffe said there鈥檚 still a chance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all still if, and it鈥檚 all still based on the County Council,鈥 she said.
Nassim Benchaabane of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.