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Show City, Chamber, Summit County study potential of new convention center by CHRISTOPHER SMART Record staff writer A Denver-based firm has been hired to determine, among other things,, what types of convention facilities would be best for Park Gity and whether such a center should be publicly or privately held. The work will be done in conjunction conjunc-tion with the contracting entities: the municipality, the Park City Chamber of CommerceConvention & Visitors Bureau and Summit County. In general, the study will outline Park City demographics and predictions of growth to help plan and foster economic development. The study will cost $47,500. The city and ChamberBureau each will bear $19,000 of the cost, and the county will chip in $9,500. A representative from the firm, Economics Research Associates (ERA), met with the Park City Council Oct. 31 to outline the study as it pertains to conventions and conferences. con-ferences. ERA yice President Bill Lee told the council ERA would study the market potential for such a convention center, taking into account ac-count existing conference facilities in Park City. The market research will allow the firm to forecast size, types and numbers of events that a convention center here could accommodate. From that forecast, Lee said the city could determine what type of convention con-vention or conference center would best be suited for the town. Lee told the council if the developers of the proposed Snow Creek project complete plans for a convention center to accompany the 325-room hotel, thexity should not go ahead with any plans for a publicly held center. ' ..., ; But Councilman Al Horrigan told Lee the city needs to know the im,- pacts of A convention center whether it is privately held or publicly sup ported. ,, Councilman Tom Shellenberger, on the other hand, told the council a convention center should be designed design-ed to help all lodges and hotels in town, not just the one associated with a meeting facility. A hotelconvention center, "won't do anything for the other lodging in town. We want to fill up all the con-dos con-dos that are vacant," Shellenberger said. As a result of the meeting, Lee said he would study the possibility for a convention center under two scenarios: privately held and publicly public-ly supported. I He said in most communities a otelfroom tax supports publicly Supported, .convention facilities. . In Wahfnowevef that is nor the case, said City Attorney Tom Clyde. -The Chamber Bureau gets about 80 percent of the 3 percent room tax here. That money is channeled back to the organization through the Mountainlands Association of Governments, a consortium of local government in Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties. Mayor Jack Green suggested the law might be changed. City officials have discussed such a change with lobbyists from the Utah League of Cities and Towns. |