Survey Finds Support For Convention Center Project

Supporters of efforts to expand the Spokane Convention Center got good news Tuesday from an unlikely source: voters.

According to a survey paid for by the Spokane Hospitality and Restaurant Association, the more voters know about the project, the more likely they are to support it.

Nearly two-thirds of Spokane County voters surveyed are familiar with the expansion project. Among those who know about the project, about half would vote for it.

Among all surveyed voters, about 40 percent would support the measure, 29 percent would not and the rest were undecided. The survey, conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Wilson Research Strategies, polled 300 Spokane County voters.

There was a margin of error of 5.6 percent.

The results were cheered by members of the city’s Sports, Entertainment, Arts and Conventions Advisory Board who are pursuing the $85 million expansion project as a means of stimulating the economy.

One of the biggest concerns surrounding expansion has been whether Spokane voters, notoriously reluctant to pay for public projects, would support it at the polls.

“It’s excellent news,” SEACAB chairman Tyrus Tenold said. “It shows voters are somewhat informed on the issue. They understand we have an environment where we can create jobs with this project.”

The restaurant association paid for the survey as a contribution to the project after it refused to support a food and beverage tax.

Dave Hooke, president of the association, said he was surprised by the results of the poll.

“I thought if they go to the people with it, it’s not going to work,” he said.

Voters will probably be asked to approve a package that would expand the convention center and fund projects in the Valley, such as the Mirabeau Point community centers.

The money would come from a combination of sources, including a state sales tax credit and the extension of existing hotel-motel and sales taxes.

The Facilities 2000 Working Group, made up of members of SEACAB and the other groups and agencies that have a stake in the project, had planned to put the issue to a vote next March.

However, Chris Wilson, who conducted the poll, said the measure would have as good or better a chance of success this November, despite a crowded ballot this fall. The key to winning the election, Wilson said, is a TV and radio educational campaign in the two weeks before the election.

“All things being equal, this wins, 2-to-1,” he said. “Those educating against it have a lot more work to do than those educating for it.”

The issue resonates with voters because it’s about adding jobs and improving the economy, Wilson said. The economy was listed by survey respondents as the most important issue facing Spokane.