Dear editor,
I'm writing about the article regarding the recent abandoning of the Convention Center project for Warren and the "Don't Give Up" editorial opinion. I couldn't agree more with the notion that we must not give up, however, I would suggest there is a way to pursue the convention center concept. While I am personally unaware of the market data on which the idea of a convention center was proposed, if there is indeed a market we need to develop strategic partnerships utilizing existing assets to test it.
We already have a potential convention center with the recently developed Allegheny Community Center. The center provides attractive dining space and multiple rooms of varying size to accommodate breakout sessions. It is located along the river in the center of town in the same facility as the very capable and high quality Transit Authority of Warren County.
We also already have existing quality hotels capable of serving conventioneers. It would seem to be logical that we would be able to partner these assets, as well as others, to serve the convention market. Door to door transportation could be provided to the attendees involving a brief 5-10 minute ride that also serves to expose them to the beauty of our community. All of this could be accomplished without excessive spending on new buildings, and could serve to test the market to determine future potential.
We enjoy a beautiful community and need to share it with others.
Judi Wilson,
Warren