Bulletin E-Edition:
In Prineville, discussions of a convention center
Business leaders looking for ways to stimulate area’s distressed economy
By Jeff McDonald / The Bulletin
Published: June 04. 2009 4:00AM PSTCrook County and Prineville business leaders are considering building a convention and community center that they say would stimulate local business and help a natural resources-based economy hit hard by the recession.
Their plans, which have not been finalized, are to build a $3 million, 18,000- to 19,000-square-foot community and convention center within the next two years.
“We are trying to take our destiny into our own hands,” said John Allen, the president-elect of the Prineville-Crook County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.
Fundraising efforts are still unfolding, and the chamber is conducting an economic feasibility study to determine whether the convention center will be worth the cost. The study should be completed by August or September, Allen said.
The chamber is spearheading the efforts to build the convention and community center and announced its plans to its members last week, Allen said.
“We cannot wait for businesses to come,” Allen said. “We know we have to do something not only to aid the current businesses we have in town but to draw more business into town that makes sense for Prineville.”
Crook County’s unemployment rate was 19.9 percent in April, the highest in the state. Allen said the county has been hit hard by a collapse of the housing market and its impact on both construction and the secondary wood products industry, as well as the loss of Les Schwab Tire Centers’ administrative headquarters, which moved to Bend.
“Schools are suffering — everybody is suffering,” he said. “We have to do something. This is one of many things we are considering.”
The new building would house both the Prineville-Crook County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development for Central Oregon’s Prineville office, Allen said.
It would provide a location for larger events such as statewide trade associations’ annual meetings or smaller community events such as weddings, Allen said. Currently, there is not a high-quality, indoor location in Crook County to hold a dining-style event for more than 200 people, Allen said. The county also lacks a site to hold a convention or conference needing numerous spaces, including break-out rooms, trade show space and a main meeting hall, he said.
“From my perspective, I think it is both a way to bring in some new business and stop the leakage of business that goes out of Crook County,” said Roger Lee, EDCO’s executive director, referring to the lack of suitable wedding and other facilities in Prineville, and the need for local residents to hold large events in Bend or Redmond.
“Tourism is not our (economic development) focus, but we understand the value of what it can do for the community,” Lee said. “At the end of the day, we will find out what it should be and how much it is going to cost.”
The chamber and EDCO are working on finding ways to pay for the building, including state or federal grants and private funding sources, Allen said.
The chamber is scoping out potential locations for the convention and community center, including downtown and other properties on the east end of town. Its preferred location is downtown on the site of a privately owned lot replacing a building that once held a bowling alley on Northwest Second Street. Negotiations are under way with the property owner, Allen said.
Restaurants and other downtown businesses, which have been hit hard by the severe recession, would benefit from increased foot traffic brought by out-of-town groups, said Joe Litzinger, the owner of Barney Prines Steakhouse & Saloon.
At Barney Prines, located about two blocks away from the proposed convention and community center on North Main Street, business has been down roughly 50 percent over the last year, Litzinger said.
“Something like that brings a lot of people,” Litzinger said. “They are going to stay and spend the night, which would bring more revenue to my business. It would definitely stimulate growth in our economy.”
Jeff McDonald can be reached at 541-383-0323 or at jmcdonald@bendbulletin.com.
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