TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - A consulting firm will help Tuscaloosa officials decide whether the city can support a new conference center or athletics venue.
Pending an expected vote by the City Council, C.H. Johnson Consulting of Chicago will lead the research. The Tuscaloosa News reports that the firm will gather data and do a marketing analysis.
City Attorney Glenda Webb, noting that the consultants findings will provide insights into “whatever the market shows could be sustained here.”
C.H. Johnson Consulting will look at Tuscaloosa’s market size, judge whether the city would benefit from a convention or athletic center and, if so, the size, scope and location of that facility.
It will also determine whether the project, if feasible, would consist of one large facility for conferences, events and athletic events, or multiple smaller facilities dedicated to each function.
“I think they have the confidence to tell us no,” Mayor Walt Maddox said of C.H. Johnson, “to tell us we may not need this.”
The cost for the study won’t exceed $110,000, but the total may not be reached if the initial phase of the study shows that no facility could be sustained.
A council vote is expected within the coming week.
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