It’s been a little over a year since the Great Bend City Council accepted a $500,000 gift to purchase the Convention Center that had been part of the Highland Hotel. The new hotel owner is settled in, and it’s time for the city to move forward.
On Saturday, council members will meet with the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board to discuss plans for operation of the center. That meeting is set for 10 a.m. in the council chambers, 1209 Williams St., and is open to the public.
The Convention Center has been a great asset for our community, and not just for the conventions it draws to the hotel. Over the years, this has been the site of events such as the Oil & Gas Hall of Fame Banquet, the Barton Community College Big Benefit Auction, Chamber of Commerce Banquet, Women’s Expo and other events that fill the room.
Other cities are investing in centers, not because they make money, but because they benefit the community, just as good roads and attractive parks do.
The city of Roseville, Calif., paid $1.9 million this year for 20 acres that will be developed as a hotel and convention center. The Sacramento Business Journal reported it was after nearly two decades of attempts to attract a convention center.
In Jonesboro, Ark., the city spent $4 million for a 14-acre tract. The plan is for a private developer to build and operate a hotel and conference center.
Closer to home, in 1997, the residents of Dodge City and Ford County voted to adopt of a half-cent county sales tax and a half-cent city sales tax to fund four public projects: Expansion and improvement of existing field sports facilities, including the development of a new softball/baseball complex and soccer facilities;  construction of an outdoor motor sports facility; improvements to the existing civic center; and construction of a special events center to attract and host various events such as concerts, indoor sports events, conventions and trade shows.
Newton built and owns the new Meridian Center, connected to a privately owned hotel. The $3.6 million conference center gets all money generated through a new “transient guest tax” collected at the adjacent hotel, along with a 1 percent increase in the bed tax at other Newton hotels, to pay for the upkeep.
There’s a lot for our city leaders to think about. What do we need; how will we fund it? The end result, if well planned, should be something to be proud of.