Long Beach : Workers Begin Expansion of Convention Center

Workers have begun tripling the size of the Long Beach Convention Center, adding a ballroom and exhibit space in an effort to draw visitors to the waterfront.

Officials hope when the center is completed in 1994 it will attract larger conventions and trade shows, help fill city hotels and boost the local economy.

Construction, which began late last month, will add an additional 136,000 square feet of exhibit space, meeting rooms and a new parking structure, said a spokeswoman for the convention center.

The Port of Long Beach is paying for 60% of the project, which will cost $95 million. Local and state bonds and the city’s hotel tax will finance the remainder.