|
With just over a year under its belt, CenterPlace at Mirabeau Park has proven
to be a near success, according to a report by Spokane Valley Parks Director Michael
Jackson.
Jackson said that the center has collected $345,643 in revenues
after just over a year in operations. Expenditures for the same period of time
were $348,244 a slight loss, but that figure was $28,756 underbudget.
Jackson
said the center has booked 447 events through December, and already has 126 in
the books for 2007.
Events at the center have been varied. So far, 152
meetings were scheduled at the site. Weddings and receptions were the secondmost
scheduled events with 90.
Other reservations include banquets, 14;
billiards, one; community events, 12; fundraisers, 10; graduation ceremonies,
four; dances, eight; private parties, 48; seminars, 56; and worship services,
52.
Jackson added that the center also was used as an election service
center. He said that more than 350 voters came to the center by 10 a.m. on election
day.
Jackson said he is going to try to improve the center's regional presence
by contracting with a pair of marketing and communications firms. He said the
companies will survey current and potential customers, target meeting planners
and other responsible for booking events, get the involvement of the Convention
and Visitor's Bureau, and develop a regional plan for the center.
Jackson
said there is about $372,000 in the center's construction fund. Potential projects
include a power point projector for the executive conference room, video conferencing
equipment, a universal park that would accommodate handicapped children, replacing
the floor in the senior dining area, and removing a wall between two classrooms
to increase its capacity to 100 people.
Finally, he said the center
now has a presence on the city's Web site. It can be reached by going to the city's
Web site at spokanevalley.org. Click
here to...
Subscribe to the Spokane Valley News Herald | 
By
CHARLIE PLUMB
