Decision on $40 million La Crosse Center renovation tonight

City would borrow $35 million, hope for state funding for rest

A big vote on the future of the La Crosse Center tonight.

The city council is set to decide on a proposal to fund around $40 million worth of a renovation for the center.

The city would borrow $35 million to fund the expansion and hope for millions more to come from the state. Much of what the city borrows for the project would be paid back through hotel room taxes and a special Center ticket surcharge.

It’s just time to do the work, says La Crosse mayor Tim Kabat.

“Just like anything, when you have a facility that large, there are times when you really then just need to do a total renovation,” Kabat said.

Kabat says the last expansion of the center in 2000 showed that improvements to the facility immediately paid dividends by drawing more conventions and events to the center, making it more financially viable.

“For us to remain competitive, we really have to look at expanding and having more meeting rooms and meeting space,” Kabat said. “The focus, however, is really on those conventions, the Moses Conference, the entertainment that comes. That’s what really drives and helps the rest of those businesses (downtown).”

The project could begin next year.