No, it doesn't: Does convention center really need to grow again?

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The Seattle Times asks the rhetorical question: Does (the) convention center really need to grow again? To that, I answer "no, it doesn't."

Clearly, those in a position to ask such a moronic question are incapable of grasping how bad our economy is.

They only want a paltry $766 Million to expand this. The center HAS been expanded... AND ATTENDANCE IS BELOW THE NUMBER BEFORE THE EXPANSION, a neat factoid that shows that the LAST expansion, let alone a new expansion, would be the same type of colossal waste of money Vancouver is attempting to engage in with the utter and humongous waste of money known as the I-5 Bridge replacement/Loot Rail project.

The parallels are striking in that both projects are a colossal waste of money, in an economy that cannot afford vaporizing hundreds of millions of dollars for someone else's vision that the people do not share; and when completed, neither project will make any difference, except in removing $5 billion or so from our pockets.

Expanding the convention center is a moronic idea not unlike believing the world is flat, and this thing should be killed, along with the careers of everyone supporting it.


Does convention center really need to grow again?

By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporter

Backers of Seattle's convention center say it needs a $766 million expansion to lure more free-spending conventioneers downtown. But the Washington State Convention & Trade Center's track record — and the struggles of convention centers elsewhere — raise questions about the wisdom of expansion.

There are plans for another expansion of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, but the center's track record and the struggles of convention centers elsewhere raise concerns about the wisdom of the proposal.

Never mind the lousy economy. Backers of Seattle's convention center say the time is right for a $766 million expansion to lure more free-spending conventioneers downtown.

Despite the state's $5 billion deficit, they're asking the Legislature to give a quick go-ahead to the project, which would double the exhibit space at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center (WSCTC). A coalition of downtown business interests and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels are solidly behind the idea.

At first glance, their case seems compelling. Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the city has lost $1.7 billion in potential visitor spending since 2004 because the convention center was booked or too small.

And the expansion would be paid for entirely out of an existing tax on hotel rooms in King County — money already dedicated to the center — so it wouldn't add to the state's budget worries.

But the convention center's track record — and the struggles of convention centers elsewhere — raises questions about the wisdom of expansion. Consider:

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