Civic Center to see upgrades

More than one million people attend nearly 4,000 events and functions at the Charleston Civic Center every year, but those numbers could be even higher if the facility had more space and style, civic center General Manager John Robertson said.

The center -- which was built in 1958 and renovated more than 30 years ago -- has to be updated and expanded to meet industry demands, he said.

Civic Center officials have tried to find ways to fix the facility for at least seven years, he said. The problem has been finding the right resources to fund the "big picture things."

 On Tuesday, Charleston Mayor Danny Jones announced plans to spend $45 to $60 million in renovations to improve the civic center.

Jones said he wants to eliminate and reduce some business and occupation taxes on manufacturing in the city, and raise sales taxes by 0.5 percent. The tax changes would have the potential to generate $3.57 million a year, Jones said.

In the past decade, public spending on convention centers has doubled to $2.4 billion annually, according to DesignIntelligence, a bi-monthly report issued by the Design Futures Council.

 The renovations would include a new 20,000-square-foot ballroom, 5,000 square feet of additional meeting space, kitchen renovations, more restrooms and enhancements to the exterior's appearance. New lighting, sound systems and an energy-efficient, climate control heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system are also in the works.

"The industry has changed, the expectations of meeting planners has changed and in order for us to compete and meet the demands of meeting planners, we've got to make some adjustments," Robertson said. "We've got to do some expansion and make some changes to the physical structure to allow us to be successful when we try to compete for that business."

Charleston has lost an estimated $28 million in business because the Charleston Civic Center can't accommodate meeting planners' needs, said Jama Jarrett, vice president of office operations and communications at the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Convention centers aren't used as just musical arenas anymore, Jarrett said.
Jarrett said the CVB has tried to bring nontraditional events, such as the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America, but can't because of limited space at the civic center. 

"These groups are looking for particulars, such as the size of the convention center, seating, how accommodating it is to the group and throughout the years we have lost particular pieces of business because the civic center wasn't big enough," Jarrett said. "We've had to turn down business or not approach [them] simply because they have an 'x' number of attendees and we just don't have the space for them."

Training opportunities such as the one offered at the former site of America's Best Value Inn and Suites only come along once or twice in a career.

Or so Washington Township Fire Department Training Manager John Nicols said this week when staff from three different fire departments practiced forcible entry at the former hotel on Frantz Road.

Washington Township was given the opportunity to train at the hotel until it is demolished sometime next month.

The hotel closed in 2011 because of numerous health- and fire-code violations.

"A building like this doesn't come open very often in a career," Nicols said.

This week crews from Washington Township, Norwich Township and Pleasant Valley used saws, axes and halligan tools to open doors and windows. A Halligan tool is a multipurpose bar usually with adz, pick and claw heads used for prying, punching and twisting.

"It really is invaluable," Washington Township Battalion Chief William Lynn said of the training opportunity.

"You may get this kind of opportunity once or twice in a career," he said.

"They gave us this opportunity for four to six weeks. A house has only one or two doors. There are 140 doors to force open here."

Although forcible entries are utilized often -- especially when fire departments are called to late night fires -- Nicols said crews don't often have the chance to do them outside emergencies.

"It's really common when you have a three in the morning report of a house fire," Nicols said. "You don't know if people are in there and their smoke detectors didn't go off.

Crews broke windows, forced doors open and even cut the area below the windows open for training. Lynn said the walls are often cut to aid firefighters in rescue, especially when they have to help each other.