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Convention center expansion project downsized due to rising cost
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ST. LOUIS – FOX 2 has learned the St. Louis convention center expansion project is being partially gutted amid skyrocketing cost overruns.
The initial $210 million cost has now jumped to more than $300 million, according to multiple city officials. Construction began in May.
Cost overruns brought on by delayed funding from St. Louis County, COVID-19-related supply chain issues, and inflation leave two options:
appropriate $100 million or more
Scale back the project
Under an updated plan revealed Wednesday by Kitty Ratcliffe, president of Explore St. Louis, which oversees America’s Center (the convention center), it’s going to be option 2.
“This is a very important project for our city, for our region,” Ratcliffe said to the Board of Aldermen’s tourism committee.
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During an online presentation, she told the committee that the updated Washington Avenue entrance would stay, along with added exhibit space, internal loading docks, and an updated façade along Cole Street. However, a fancy outdoor plaza will be only partially completed, and a luxurious new ballroom (an important feature for professional organizations, according to Ratcliffe) will be cut from the plan.
The committee unanimously approved spending $30 million from the NFL settlement on construction cost overruns. The money was already earmarked for the project during negotiations over how to divide more than $500 million in NFL settlement funds among St. Louis City, the County, and the RSA (domed stadium authority). Under the negotiated terms, the $30 million goes to the RSA if the City of St. Louis fails to appropriate it to the convention center.
“We have a lot of events in 2024 that need this space,” Ratcliffe said. “(The $30 million) is not enough to fill the gap completely, but it is enough to do a lot of what we need to do.”
For instance, an upscale west side entrance next to the outdoor plaza will get finished, but for now, the plaza will be greenspace without amenities like sidewalks, seating, and a planned pavilion.
“I think it’s scaled back more than I thought,” said Aldermen Tom Oldenburg (16th Ward), tourism committee chairman.
The addition of the NFL settlement funds now puts the cost at $240 million much less than what regional leaders expected to get for $210 million just a couple of years ago.
Oldenburg said dipping into NFL settlement funds to make up the rest of the convention center funding gap was a non-starter.
“Just who I’ve talked to, a lot of decision-makers around City Hall, throwing more money at convention center expansion beyond what was decided today,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of appetite for additional funds.”
The full Board of Aldermen is expected to give final approval to the additional $30 million in funding next week.
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.
Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.
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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.
Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.
Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.
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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.
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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.
The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.
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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.
A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.
The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.
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