ST. LOUIS — The tourism office in charge of the stalled expansion of the America’s Center is warning St. Louis and St. Louis County officials that the regional economy could lose more than $100 million if delays, brought on by political stalemate, don’t end.
The losses would reach that mark in six months, Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, said in an email obtained by the Post-Dispatch.
“These numbers represent the bare minimum and certain loss to the businesses in the region, the workforce of those businesses, and the overall health of the economy of the region and the state,†Ratcliffe wrote. She said she didn’t count the cost of losing other groups waiting to book conventions until the project is underway.
First pitched in late 2018, plans for the $210 million expansion call for a new ballroom and pavilion and 92,000 square feet of new exhibit space. The project is slated for completion in 2023. But political infighting and the pandemic have long delayed the work that Ratcliffe and other officials say is key for the region to stay competitive for convention traffic.
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St. Louis officials fought in 2019 over control of the city’s bond issue to finance the work, before delaying approval for months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Then prominent developer Bob Clark, founder of design-build firm Clayco, shopped his own proposal for a new convention center to civic and business leaders, calling the existing plan “a chopped-up addition to the already ill-conceived convention center.â€
Clayco's Bob Clark calls the current expansion plan "a chopped-up addition to the already ill-conceived convention center."
The city has now closed on its bonds supporting the expansion.
“At this point, it’s on the county,†mayoral spokesman Nick Dunne said on Friday. “The city’s done its part.â€
It wasn’t clear Ratcliffe’s missive would persuade county officials to approve their half of the project’s financing, though.
County Council Chair Rita Heard Days, D-1st District, accused Ratcliffe earlier this week of reneging on a deal to build a north St. Louis County recreation center in exchange for the county’s support on the convention center.
She said Friday she would not be cowed by bad press.
“I think probably Kitty is going to do the media blitz to try to move us a little faster or move us in a different direction,†she told the Post-Dispatch. “I hope she doesn’t feel that that’s going to work because I don’t think it is. This council is adamant about getting the best bang we can get for our buck.â€
Ratcliffe sent the email to the expansion project’s “coordination team,†which includes chiefs of staff to Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, county Chief Administrative Officer Deanna Venker, and Neal Richardson, chief of the St. Louis Development Corp.
She said she was prompted by the team to quantify losses based on delays. Her email says the city will lose major conventions if the expansion isn’t approved quickly.
She listed 11, without names, starting with a “national corporate convention†in late September 2023 expected to draw 3,000 people, pay for 7,300 hotel room nights and add $4 million in total spending.
Other events included:
• an “international religious association†event starting in Dec. 2023 set to draw 26,400 people and $28 million in spending;
• three “Midwest regional tournaments†in February and March 2024 expected to draw 60,000 people and $27 million in spending; and
• two tradeshows set to bring in 20,000 people and roughly $19 million in expenditures.
She only included losses for events booked for the convention center. Popular draws to the Dome, such as Supercross or Monster Jam, wouldn’t be affected, she said.
Some council members say they’re confused about the Convention and Visitors Commission role in the project.Â