New attractions to begin opening in 2000, 2001

by Ann Bucy

SBJ Contributing Writer

The hotel/motel tax increase that was passed Feb. 3 will take effect in a matter of days on April 1. The increase will take the tax from 2 cents, where it has stayed since 1979, to 4 1/2 cents.

1 1/2 cents will go to the development of Civic Park downtown. This will be a 35-acre park bordered roughly by St. Louis Street on the south, Sherman Parkway on the east, Kimbrough Avenue on the west and Jordan Creek on the north.

"Not all of the property has been purchased yet," said Tracy Kimberlin, executive director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau.

On this 35-acre plot will be a 100,000-square-foot Expo Center to be built by John Q. Hammons at an estimated cost of $15 million to $18 million.

"The land will have to be cleared and businesses relocated before the Expo Center can be built," Kimberlin said.

The facility will be used for meetings and exhibits, and the center is expected

to be complete by late 2000 to early

2001.

A quarter-cent will go toward a recreational ice facility with two ice rinks, and a half-cent will go to the American National Fish & Wildlife Museum adjacent to Bass Pro.

The museum and aquarium will comprise about 70,000 square feet. A feasibility study was conducted, which estimated this attraction will draw 1 million to 1.4 million people per year.

If state funding is approved, this project could be completed sometime in 2001.

Another quarter-cent will go to matching funds for capital improvement projects related to tourism. These funds are earmarked for The Landers Theatre, The Gillioz, The Discovery Center and Dickerson Park Zoo.

According to David Knight, the city's economic development coordinator, these four projects were determined to be significant in attracting visitors to the community.

Knight said the matching funds will be used in the following manner:

The Landers Theatre will be able to be flexible with its funds, he said, because it has a capital improvement program in place.

Since the Gillioz is not yet up and running, Knight said he believes it will use a lump-sum amount to really get the ball rolling on the theater's renovation.

The Discovery Center, which opened about a month ago with interactive displays for kids, will likely use its incremental funds from the tax increase to update and expand exhibits, Knight said.

And at Dickerson Park Zoo, "Since they raise charitable funds on their own, this money will help them differently than the others," he said.

These four groups are waiting for City Council to appropriate the funds, according to Knight.

The groups' goal is to have the appropriations by next month.

Kimberlin said the remaining 2 cents of the hotel/motel tax hike will help fund the Convention & Visitors Bureau in its efforts toward visitor attraction, research and marketing assistance.[[In-content Ad]]