Center’s fate is in the numbers

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, October 24, 2001

By Theresa Goffredo

Herald Writer

EVERETT — Because of an anticipated economic malaise due to the Boeing layoffs, Everett City Council members have been going over the numbers until their pencil points are dull trying to determine if now is the right time to build a special events center.

Mayor Ed Hansen told a group of business leaders and owners Wednesday that he expects the city to make a final decision on the project sometime in November.

Hansen agreed that the numbers show a slowdown in the economy, but he said that doesn’t represent the big picture.

"There’s been a number of occasions where the sales tax receipts have been down, and it will be a challenge, but it’s nothing new," Hansen said.

He spoke to a group gathered at the Monte Cristo Hotel as part of the downtown Everett update luncheon sponsored by the Downtown Everett Action Committee and the Everett Chamber of Commerce.

Hansen used sales tax statistics, because that’s where the bulk of the funding for the proposed $50 million special events center will come from — $25 million is sales tax rebates over 25 years. Planned for downtown at Hewitt Avenue and Broadway, the events center is expected to revitalize the area by drawing in crowds for hockey games, trade shows and concerts.

Hansen pointed out that revenue from sales tax receipts was down from $20.3 million in 2000 to $19.6 million in 2001. However, the larger picture shows a cumulative average increase in sales tax receipt money of 5.21 percent over the last 21 years, Hansen said.

That’s good news for events center proponents, because the feasibility study on whether to build the project was based on a sales tax rate of growth of 4 percent, Hansen said.

Should the events center project go forward, the anchor tenant will be a newly awarded Western Hockey League franchise. In addition to the 8,000-seat hockey arena, the events center will hold 10,000 for concerts, be able to accommodate rodeo, basketball, tennis and volleyball, and will have a second ice sheet for family skating.

Other downtown Everett projects discussed Wednesday were: