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Wild idea: Try, try again

Don Rogers

Columnist Kaye Ferry, one of those who frankly exaggerated a bit to help kill the conference center, wrung her hands Wednesday over what to do with that nearly $8 million collected in town coffers to invest in something that helps visitors spend money in Vail and contribute to the town’s bottom line.Sigh.The best answer to that question remains this: Build a conference center.Public rec centers with indoor swimming pools require that roughly million a year subsidy so disparaged among the “kill the conference center now” crowd. Without the hefty return on investment in dollars spent at businesses in town.A new clubhouse at the golf course? Well, sure that would be nice. But that’s not even in the universe of the benefit a conference center delivers to Vail.Maybe the town fathers and mothers can incentivize a sugar daddy to build that private conference center. You know, that mysterious somebody the opposition floated – most likely fibbed about; all’s fair in Vail elections, after all – as a possibility to build one if the voters only would say no to a public one.So where’s the sugar daddy?Here’s a wild idea for the new council and old lodging community: Float the idea again. Wear the exaggerators down with a more focused campaign on the benefits of a conference center that attracts visitors who truly would not otherwise come to Vail. The truth is on your side, at least. Vail, Colorado


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