by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
To expand or move? When it comes to Jacksonville’s convention center, that’s the question.
Just weeks after dozens of local business and political leaders were surveyed, a definitive answer, or at least the “logical” one, may finally be revealed.
International design firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, who conducted the survey, will review the data and release their recommendations next month.
According to Michael Munz, an executive with The Dalton Agency, the “community stakeholder interviews” weighed in on a variety of convention center topics, including the pros and cons of the existing Osborn Center and the community reaction to abandoning it and starting over somewhere else.
“Obviously it’s important to understand what’s working and what’s not working with our convention center now,” said Munz. “You want to make sure you have as much information as possible.
“We have to be aware of the full impact no matter what HOK recommends we do.”
Munz declined to speculate on the recommendation, though maintained it would not be affected by “any outside influences.”
He said local hotel operators and representatives from the Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau agree that something needs to be done.
“But this is not a CVB-inspired survey. All I know is that it is going to be logical and based on fact,” he said. “HOK has been keeping us informed, but we’re staying pretty hands off on this. I doubt we’ll know anything more than anyone else before the results become public knowledge. HOK is good at what they do and they’re trying to determine the best possible location where we can further develop a convention center market. On or off the record, I have no preconceived notions of what they will say at the end of day.”
Among those surveyed, City Council president Elaine Brown said that even after the next step is determined, more questions will have to be answered.
“This survey didn’t touch on how we are supposed to pay for any recommendation,” she said. “If, for example, we’re told we need to board up the Prime Osborn and move somewhere else, I’m hearing that could cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
“I don’t know how well that would go over.”
Brown said the current site could work.
“If we expand the facilities we have now and build a hotel around it, there’s no question,” she said. “And even if it no longer operates as a convention center, I don’t think we should say, ‘Oops, we made a mistake,’ and walk away.”
Brown and Munz said HOK’s findings would not fast track any convention center legislation or action on behalf of Mayor John Peyton.
Last month, Peyton said he understands the level of public interest surrounding a better facility, but that currently it is not one of his priorities.