Interesting Dilemma

Picture this.

You are a member of the City Council. A proposal comes before you for a $20,000 study into whether your city needs and could sustain a conference or convention center. Half of the cost of the study will be paid for by a consulting firm which also represents a hotel & conference center that has separate business before the City. Several speakers remark that the study would find that -of course- a convention center is needed in your city.

Other speakers say that such studies are expensive and it’s quite a good deal to have a private company fund half the cost of a study that will prove how desriable your community is to various business interests.

Yet others will cite statistics -there are thousands of hotel rooms but a big deficit of meeting space- and say that it is difficult for large organizations to hold meetings with thousands of attendees in your town. Whatever the hotel and consulting firm wants, they say, we should give them.

You, as the City Counicl person, want to support local businesses but you’re worried about the image and think that such a study should be organic and not at the behest of a business interest. Or perhaps you think your community isn’t quite ready for a full blown convention center yet and you want more time to think about it.

On top of all this is the fact that in your community retail & office vacancies are high (and rising), the economy sucks, and you’re eager to get businesses to focus on your community.

Such was the dilemma at tonight’s otherwise uninteresting City Council meeting. We saw two City Council candidates (Boydston & Gauny) raise the issue in the second paragraph. Then we saw the Chamber say floor & conference space -wherever it is built- is needed for the SCV and that the recent Business Expo was almost a disaster due to poor facilities. Finally we saw the Councilmembers themselves debate- what is the difference between convention center space and conference room space? can the SCV actually support a real convention center? how much square footage would be appropriate?

Ultimately the matter was sent back to the staff for more study. But I like what I saw. Real debate and concern about the relationship between business and government and real thought about the future of Santa Clarita and its ability to attract investment and clout. And some real critical thinking brought up by Council candidates ahead of next year’s City Council election.

Comments (5)

Samuel AdamsOctober 27, 2009 at 10:38 pm

I vote they put it at Saugus Speedway and finally get rid of that eyesore.

AnnetteOctober 27, 2009 at 11:07 pm

If a “location” study is necessary,for a conference center in Santa Clarita, the city should incur all costs of that study. With parties of interst paying half of the study, some people will always (I for one)have doubts about the studies outcome. And, if our current council needs to worry about their “image” it’s time to replace them! “TimBen in 10″ ~ He does his homework first~

The Hill PeopleOctober 28, 2009 at 9:23 am

I love the Saugus Speedway. Things like that give this town its character. The family loves to go to the car shows and swap meet. We have enough homogenized cookie cutter buildings, which I’m sure any convention center would be. I’m not against a convention center but put it in Valencia where it belongs. Of course if Newhall Land builds it, it will be Valencia no matter where it is.

mikeOctober 28, 2009 at 9:53 am

That empty shell of an office building adjacent to the Magic Mtn. property would have been great for a convention center.

Samuel AdamsOctober 28, 2009 at 1:59 pm

Saugus Speedway is falling apart. If it is never going to be a speedway again, and people want a “fairgrounds” area, the city should buy it and make it so. Otherwise it continues to be an eyesore that seems very out of place.

Samuel AdamsOctober 27, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I vote they put it at Saugus Speedway and finally get rid of that eyesore.
AnnetteOctober 27, 2009 at 11:07 pm
If a “location” study is necessary,for a conference center in Santa Clarita, the city should incur all costs of that study. With parties of interst paying half of the study, some people will always (I for one)have doubts about the studies outcome. And, if our current council needs to worry about their “image” it’s time to replace them! “TimBen in 10″ ~ He does his homework first~
The Hill PeopleOctober 28, 2009 at 9:23 am
I love the Saugus Speedway. Things like that give this town its character. The family loves to go to the car shows and swap meet. We have enough homogenized cookie cutter buildings, which I’m sure any convention center would be. I’m not against a convention center but put it in Valencia where it belongs. Of course if Newhall Land builds it, it will be Valencia no matter where it is.
mikeOctober 28, 2009 at 9:53 am
That empty shell of an office building adjacent to the Magic Mtn. property would have been great for a convention center.
Samuel AdamsOctober 28, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Saugus Speedway is falling apart. If it is never going to be a speedway again, and people want a “fairgrounds” area, the city should buy it and make it so. Otherwise it continues to be an eyesore that seems very out of place.