Local officials discuss benefits of proposed event center
By Chris Fortune
A proposed event center near the Shoppes at North Village could be a boon for future business development.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Stein and Summers Real Estate announced the proposal of a 25,000- to 30,000-square-foot building that can accommodate more than 400 people in a press release on Wednesday.
Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson has heard about the need for an event center since he assumed his position over a year ago. He said two of the biggest event centers he knows of are at Word of Life Church and Stoney Creek Hotel.
“From my first day talking with the Chamber and some of their committees, there has been expressed a need in our community for an event center,” he said.
The proposed event center would be placed in the remaining portion of a lot where a My Place Hotel is being developed, according to the press release. The lot is just north of Jack Horner’s Machinery-Contractors and east of Ricky Dean’s.
“It’s been noted that from some of the business owners in town, whether it’s Triumph (Foods) or Altec or the big ones, if they bring in their teams and they want to have a big meeting, they have to take them to Kansas City because we don’t have anything to supply them for the size they need,” Nelson said.
Christian Mengel, director of communications for the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau, said they have had conversations about an event center with Berkshire Hathaway for at least the past two years.
“I think that just stems back from the fact that we really don’t have much event space of that size and caliber, and that’s a natural location for it, given that there’s hotels there, shopping nearby, restaurants nearby,” he said.
Mengel said an event center will give the city more pitching opportunities to entice more businesses to spend time in St. Joseph.
“You’re getting groups that are actively looking at your community to spend money and stay the night in,” he said. “They have to eat somewhere, there’s going to be more restaurants that naturally come up around it, and those businesses around start to elevate and start to do more for the economy here.”
