Round 2 begins on Idaho Falls convention center
Idaho Falls could get its first convention center, if developer Ball Ventures has anything to say about it.
But AmeriTel Inns, which has successfully fought convention centers throughout the state, put convention center organizers on notice: Don’t tax us, or else….
Ball Ventures offered to donate land for a convention center in its planned community, Snake River Landing, to the Idaho Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“A convention center, events center or recreation center … are greatly needed in the community,” Ball Ventures founder Allen Ball said. He said he wanted to invest in a place that can serve the entire community.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau hasn’t decided to accept the offer from Ball Ventures, but the offer kick-started a movement to construct a center.
The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau formed an exploratory committee to determine whether the Snake River Landing location is the most appropriate location, said bureau president and CEO Robb Chiles, who also heads the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce. It could be a few years before the committee is asked to decide whether to accept Ball Ventures’ offer.
The committee would also explore costs, financing options, and what kind of center is most economically feasible for Idaho Falls; a convention center is less costly than a multipurpose center, but can host fewer types of events, Chiles said.
Funding may be the greatest challenge of developing the convention center. Most other states have a multitude of funding options for convention centers, such as local option taxes, Chiles said, but most of those options are not available to Idaho cities.
Chiles said a public-private deal and community donations could be options. Idaho code has given auditorium districts the authority to levy hotel room taxes, but AmeriTel Vice President Brian Black said AmeriTel would oppose any attempt to impose a tax.
“If they can do it with private funds, without taxing, it makes sense that way,” Black said.
Chiles said he has invited AmeriTel to participate in the exploratory committee discussions, but has not received a response.
“We haven’t really discussed financing options yet,” he said. “As soon as we say this is going to require a bed tax, that’s when I think we’ll hear from them.”
AmeriTel shot down an earlier attempt to build a convention center in Idaho Falls, running an ad campaign to convince citizens to vote against it in 2000. AmeriTel repeated the tactic in Boise when the Greater Boise Auditorium District twice tried to pass a vote for a larger convention center. GBAD is now attempting to build one through a private partnership with John Q. Hammons and Oppenheimer Companies. AmeriTel is currently suing the Pocatello Convention and Visitors Bureau to stop it from operating.
Story by Lora Volkert. Originally posted at: Idaho Business Review
Tags: Ball Ventures, Convention Center
