4/21/11 Expo center a real possibility, could generate millions for economy

  • By Nick Sabo
  • April 21, 2011
  • 257
                        
SUMMARY: Center committee encouraged to consider wide variety of shows The initial cost of an exposition center for Holmes County will run in the millions, but might generate upwards of $9 million for the local economy every year. Aaron Whittakre, managing partner of Front Street Analytics, and Mark A. Kline, principal architect for Kinzelman, Kline and Gossman, led a presentation Friday April 15 on the feasibility of a successful expo center serving the Holmes County area. Whittakre said “the water is warm” for such a facility. “Holmes County has a huge start,” Whittakre said. “It is already a tourist destination. An expo center would be an anchor to create new economic growth.” Whittakre said the area fits the conditions in which an expo center would thrive. Set up to accommodate a varied slate of events including weddings, consumer and trade shows, corporate retreats and performing arts, the center would serve as a source of revenue well beyond its walls. “You create an additional draw by the compelling promise of an event being held at the expo center,” Whittakre said. “That does nothing but increase the interest in the area. That’s what this is really about.” The idea to build an expo center germinates from the availability of a new fairgrounds site west of Millersburg on land at the intersection of state Route 39 and County Road 301. New Pointe Church, Dover, plans to build a church on the site. An exploratory committee has been formed to determine whether an exposition center might find a home at the new fairgrounds site. Using the former Holmes County Expo Center located near Walnut Creek as a model, Aaron said “conservatively” the proposed center has the potential to draw in at least 110 events per year, that may attract about 50,000 people. Under these conditions, Whittakre estimates a direct revenue stream of $6 million, with an additional $2.5 - $3 million in related revenue. The related revenue includes wages associated with setting up and putting on the shows. The revenues projected by Whittakre represent the impact to the community a a whole, Typically, an expo center itself has achieved its annual goal if it breaks even, he said. Whittakre’s model for construction looked at an estimated building cost of $59 per square foot. The cost looks at shell construction and interior finishing costs. Using this estimate, a 100,000 square foot center would cost $5.9 million, a 75,000 square foot facility at $4.7 million, and $3.9 million for 60,000 square feet. Annual operating costs, including full time and part time staff and utilities, would average around $300,000, Whittakre said. In an area with an established tourism industry, the expo center committee must take a hard look at what kind of events they hope to attract. The center must be designed to accommodate these events, Whittakre said. For example, if sporting events and concerts are part of the programming, locker rooms should be installed. An appropriate sound system will be necessary. The site decided upon for the expo center covers 14 acres. A parking lot would be close to, and possibly shared with, parking for New Pointe Church. Whether a expo center is in the future or not, the site should be graded as if there will be development overall, Kline said. The site’s rolling terrain will have to be addressed sooner or later, Kline said, and it makes sense to do it all at once. An example of ground elevation issues is illustrated by a proposed two-building expo center connected by a breezeway for a combined 100,000 square feet. Between the two buildings is a sharp 18 foot drop in elevation. “The elevation calls for a mass grading plan,” Kline said. “There are several sharp drops.” Fairboard president Kerry Taylor said the exposition center committee will take the information under consideration. “I think leaving here there are some things we know that are going to happen: The property will be annexed, the church will be built and the fairgrounds will relocate,” Taylor said. “I think what the expo board is now concerned with is making a decision as to whether there will be a facility and move toward a master plan. Obviously, funding is a huge problem. If we can’t fund it, we can’t build it.”


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