Sen. Patty Murray said the convention center is an important project to move the economy forward. | Facebook
Sen. Patty Murray said the convention center is an important project to move the economy forward. | Facebook
The Washington State Convention Center project needs $300 million in federal aid to complete its expansion, KING5 reported.
The project is a $1.8 billion expansion and is now in doubt, with the project leader, Matt Griffin, saying that the lodging taxes needed to pay bonds for the project were decimated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, KING5 reported.
"So we find ourselves in an unfortunate spot," Griffin told KING5. "We don't like it at all. We have a certain amount of cash on hand. If we don't have additional funds to basically complete this project, we'll have to stop in 10 to 12 months."
State senators and congress members have been informed of the situation, Sen. Patty Murray told KING5.
“I’ve been in contact with folks on the ground and know how important the convention center is to the city of Seattle and its economy moving forward, especially in light of the current crisis. I am working now to explore what can be done at the federal level to help support the project’s timely completion," Murray said in a statement.
But Griffin told KING5 the project needed $300 million more to be completed.
The convention center already has 30 events booked after its planned 2022 completion, Visit Seattle CEO Tom Norwalk told KING5.
Due to the coronavirus, 26 events have already had to be canceled since March.
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