GJEP Board of Directors votes unanimously to support plans for a Grand Junction multi-purpose event center, April ballot initiative

Grand Junction, CO (January 19, 2017) – Yesterday, as its first action of the New Year, the Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP) Board of Directors voted to support the City of Grand Junction in its efforts to build a new regional event center downtown, including a proposed retail sales tax increase to fund the project.

The Board voted unanimously in favor of the event center, with Mesa County Commissioner Rose Pugliese and Barbara Traylor Smith, Grand Junction City Council Member, abstaining from the vote.

“The GJEP Board applauds the City leadership for moving forward with a visionary idea to strengthen the local economy and further secure Grand Junction as the regional hub for sports, entertainment, and commerce on the western slope. The event center offers enormous possibilities from an economic development perspective by adding over 200 direct jobs and greatly strengthening our tourism industry,” said Tim Fry, GJEP Board Chair, after the vote. “Our Board knows that our community needs to invest in a number of areas to strengthen our community and our hope is that this project can be one of several investments over the next few years that sets the Grand Valley up for long-term economic stability and success.”

The new Grand Junction event center will be a 5,200-seat multi-purpose event center scheduled to be fully operational in early 2019. The event center will incorporate the existing Two Rivers Convention Center – which will be renovated during the construction phase – and will be under a management umbrella with Two Rivers and the Avalon Theatre.

Once completed, the event center is projected to draw 80,000 new visitors to Grand Junction annually and add $30 million in retail sales revenue, operating with a net positive of more than $500,000.

The City of Grand Junction is proposing a ¼% sales tax increase to cover the expense of constructing the new center – the equivalent of $30 annually per household. Voters will decide on the retail sales tax increase during April local elections.

For more information about the proposed Grand Junction Event Center, visit www.gjeventcenter.com.

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