by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
The Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Convention Center Task Force is currently in the process of selecting the last seven members of its 10-person steering committee. So far, three of the slots have been filled.
M.G. Orender, chairman of the CVB’s Board of Directors and president of Hampton Golf, has agreed to chair the Task Force.
Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Executive Director Ron Barton will serve as the city liaison and CVB CEO and President John Reyes will be the industry advisor.
CVB spokesperson Jennifer McPhee said the task force hopes to announce the other seven committee members the week after Thanksgiving.
“Right now, those seven people have already been proposed based on the recommendation of the mayor, but they have not been confirmed,” said McPhee. “They will be confirming appointments of the members all this week and next week.”
The Task Force was created after Mayor John Peyton asked the CVB to form a group that will help determine whether or not a new convention center is needed in Jacksonville and if so, where and how one should be developed.
Over the years, this issue has created two camps: those who would like to expand the current Osborn Center and build an adjacent hotel and those who would like to construct a new, bigger facility, perhaps on the site of the current County Courthouse after it relocates.
Task force members would be divided into seven sub-committees, chaired by an assigned member of the steering committee, based on their individual areas of expertise. A CVB staff liaison would be assigned to each group and used as an informational resource.
Each sub-committee will be responsible for researching and presenting detailed information on one of the key designated topics of discussion to the task force and facilitating an informed decision-making process for the entire group. Subcommittees will be encouraged to meet as needed prior to their presentation date, as well as hold a post-presentation meeting to review public response to their findings.
Once the members are determined, a steering committee orientation, tentatively set for Dec. 11, will be held to provide them with an overview of the subcommittee structure and the work they will be handling.
There, steering committee members will also be asked to approve the contract with Jacksonville Community Council Inc. as a third party facilitator as well as review the need for additional feasibility studies and research.
“While it is the CVB’s recommendation to use JCCI, the steering committee and the task force are the ones making the decision as to how to move forward,” said McPhee.
McPhee said the idea behind this task force is that the convention center is a community issue. Thus a consensus from a broad spectrum of the community is needed to make recommendations and determine an action plan.
The first official task force meeting after the orientation will be of the current status subcommittee. At that time, committee members will provide a summary of past reports and recommendations regarding convention center development in Jacksonville, as well as review recent booking history, funding and management of the current convention center. The committee will also explore the political, legal and community issues linked to the debate and make a recommendation as to the need for additional feasibility studies and research reports.
Other committees include business demand, market support and infrastructure, site selection, finance, facility management and community impact.