Sangamon County to consider tourism district in first step to expanded convention center

Springfield's primary home for conventions, sporting events, graduation ceremonies, and concerts may be getting a whole new look in the coming years.

The Sangamon County Board will discuss plans later this month for a new tourism district that could pave the way for future expansion of the BOS Center.

The Dec. 19 meeting also could include a vote that would establish the new district, which would allow local hotels to levy a fee on every night spent in a hotel room throughout the county. The Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority, the agency tasked with running the convention center, would use the fee to help with future bond issues funding the new construction.

Sangamon County would collect the fee and remit the money to SMEAA.

More: Springfield Police releases body cam footage of Juvenile Detention Center shooting

Sangamon County Board Chair Andy Van Meter said that the genesis for the district came about with State Sen. Doris Turner's, (D-Springfield), amendment to a bill during the last session of the Illinois General Assembly. SMEAA chairman and State Rep. Mike Coffey, (R-Springfield), supported the amendment that allows for establishing a 20-year tourism district to fund the convention center expansion.

Under the amended bill, hotels could petition the local government to form the district and if enough petitions were gathered, Sangamon County, in this case – would develop a plan for the project. The Dec. 19 meeting would be a hearing to determine whether an expansion would benefit the county.

"If all the evidence in the hearing supports the formation of the district plan, we would expect the county board to approve the district," Van Meter said.

Details such as a price tag for an expansion have yet to be determined, although Van Meter estimated the cost could be about $100 million. Van Meter and Coffey say that the expanded facility would sit in what is now the lone parking lot for the Sangamon County Complex at the corner of 9th and Adams streets.

Coffey pointed out that until a feasibility study is conducted and a budget is set up, everything about the project is tentative. The study would come after the county board approves the district. However, he said, SMEAA does have several early project priorities.

"Our initial thought is that we'd like 120,000 square feet," Coffey said. "That would take us from a Tier 3 to a Tier 2 convention space (that's) more competitive with the surrounding cities (like) Peoria, even compete with cities like St. Louis and Indianapolis. We don't know if we can achieve that."

He said that conventions have outgrown the original building, which will turn 45 years old in 2024. At least 10 conventions have left Springfield for more space which makes the potential plan for expansion so attractive. Having everything in one place next door to hotels such as the Wyndham Springfield City Centre and the President Abraham Lincoln Springfield DoubleTree, also is an advantage.

"It's a big boon for tourism and that's something that these tour planners really like," Coffey said. "It would tier up our convention status so that we can get higher-end conventions and we can get bigger conventions."

It also could allow for hosting simultaneous events such as a concert or sporting event in the arena space and a convention in a new space across the street.

"Let's say we've got the Harlem Globetrotters (or) World Wrestling Entertainment booked and the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau comes to us and says, 'Mike, we can get this trucking convention in,'" Coffey said. "'We can get trucking companies from all over the country (and) they're going to come in on this date.'

We're contractually obligated on our ticketed events for a lot of dates. Now, we'll be able to have both a ticketed event and a convention at the same time."

An expansion also would accommodate bigger name concerts. Coffey noted that the BOS Center has struggled to attract large names to Springfield.

"Our numbers compared to like-size venues of our size have always been on the low side," Coffey said. "This might help our ticketed events, which will help get more events to come here because of the sales. It's a net plus for them."

Van Meter said that hotel owners are keen on the new convention space, mainly because it could get them closer to having every hotel room occupied every day of the year.

"We bring in conventioneers, they stay three or four nights in the community and that helps fill the hotel rooms," Van Meter said.

Coffey pointed out the simple fact that more conventions and larger events mean more money coming into the city and county.

"When you have this convention space, it's people from the outside bringing in outside money and leaving it in Springfield," Coffey said. "It makes our community much wealthier – the sales tax revenue it will generate that stays here in Springfield and the surrounding area is immense, so it will help our bottom line."

Coffey and Van Meter caution if the district is approved, an important step remains before any shovel hits the dirt and building starts – a feasibility study that would explore the benefit of an expansion. But still, meetings are being held with the county and other stakeholders to determine who would conduct the survey.

"We had about 10 feasibility companies," Coffey said. "We got it down to four. We're going to do interviews and then we're going to let them (the hotels) select because the buy-in has to come from the hotels."

The study would be conducted through the winter, with hopes of completing it in March. If the study shows that an expansion would be beneficial, work could begin within eight months, with completion possible in 2026 or 2027. Coffey notes that the timeline would be a best-case scenario, not accounting for unforeseen issues that could delay a project.

Along with Van Meter and the county, Coffey said that support has come from Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher and tourism director Scott Dahl. Tourism districts, Dahl said, share some similarities with traditional business districts, which allows businesses to levy additional costs to help fund projects within their boundaries.

More: State regulators failed to act on Carlinville funeral director who mishandled remains

Like Coffey, he's encouraged by the possibility that the BOS Center could become home to more mid-sized or larger conventions if an expansion happens.

"Currently, we don't have enough available space, so we get more inquiries than we have space available," Dahl said. "This will alleviate some of those space and availability concerns, but we have to have that feasibility study done, so that we know what we have to build."

The SMEAA board also agrees to what comes next, which Coffey hopes will create a significant boost in tourism.

"When you look at the (Scheels) Sports Complex and what they're going to do at the (Illinois State) Fairgrounds, if we can get this downtown, it would be a really big boon for tourism in Springfield, Illinois," Coffey said. "Hopefully, (we're) getting people that will stay one, two, and three days and generate a lot of income for the city."

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Sangamon County to consider tourism district for expanded BOS center