 | By Cole Higgins at wearegreenbay.com NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) -The Fox Cities Exhibition Center is officially a go. Tuesday night the City of Neenah was the last of ten municipalities to approve a 10% room tax that will help fund the expo center. The Neenah Common Council approved the tax seven to two. The deadline for all of the communities to approve the plan was November 30th. |
Now that all ten of the municipalities have approved the increased room tax, expo center project is moving ahead quickly.
"We will close on the property, so we will meet the deadline and then we have a lot to do," says Appleton mayor, Tim Hanna.
Hanna says that on Wednesday, after purchasing land on West Lawrence Street for for $2 million from Outagamie County, the focus will shift to hiring an architect and construction manager for the exhibition center.
Renderings provided through the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau are just ideas of what the center may look like.
"All of that specific design work is yet to be done, and it probably will look a little different," explains Hanna.
Hanna says a room tax board will also be organized to oversee, that money.
"They need to elect a chairman and get themselves organized because the room tax will go into effect the first of the year," explains Hanna.
One-percent of the 10% room tax will be going to a sports facilities fund.
It's been a controversial topic for many municipalities.
But the CVB says the money and projects coming from it, will benefit all Fox Cities communities.
"The beauty of the sports facilities fund and how we're putting it under our tourism development fund, is that it has the potential to benefit multiple facilities in all of our municipalities," explains Pam Seidl with the CVB.
The CVB also says they have already been in touch with around 70 groups that are interested in booking the Fox Cities Exhibition Center, which should be completed sometime in 2017.
They also say they are accepting grants for the sports facilities fund, and have received one already.
"We will close on the property, so we will meet the deadline and then we have a lot to do," says Appleton mayor, Tim Hanna.
Hanna says that on Wednesday, after purchasing land on West Lawrence Street for for $2 million from Outagamie County, the focus will shift to hiring an architect and construction manager for the exhibition center.
Renderings provided through the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau are just ideas of what the center may look like.
"All of that specific design work is yet to be done, and it probably will look a little different," explains Hanna.
Hanna says a room tax board will also be organized to oversee, that money.
"They need to elect a chairman and get themselves organized because the room tax will go into effect the first of the year," explains Hanna.
One-percent of the 10% room tax will be going to a sports facilities fund.
It's been a controversial topic for many municipalities.
But the CVB says the money and projects coming from it, will benefit all Fox Cities communities.
"The beauty of the sports facilities fund and how we're putting it under our tourism development fund, is that it has the potential to benefit multiple facilities in all of our municipalities," explains Pam Seidl with the CVB.
The CVB also says they have already been in touch with around 70 groups that are interested in booking the Fox Cities Exhibition Center, which should be completed sometime in 2017.
They also say they are accepting grants for the sports facilities fund, and have received one already.
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