ANAHEIM : Council Weighs Choice for Convention Study

The City Council on Tuesday will consider spending more than $90,000 to hire one of the nation’s top accounting firms to study whether expanding the Anaheim Convention Center would be financially practical.

The proposed $60-million expansion of the facility, located across the street from Disneyland, is part of the city’s grand plan to revitalize its tourist area.

“The Convention Center is the backbone of the convention and tourism industry in Anaheim, and to a larger extent, Orange County,” said Anaheim spokesman Brett Colson. “With recent expansions in Las Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles, there is a need to consider ways to keep up in the competitive convention business.”

The city’s staff has recommended that the council hire the firm of Coopers and Lybrand. The firm has done similar jobs for the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, as well as for the convention centers in Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Denver.

The purpose of the four-month study will be to ensure that any investment of the city’s resources into such an expansion is economically justified, city officials said.

The analysis will also include an assessment of the market for enhanced convention facilities in Anaheim. The facility, which is owned and operated by the city, currently has five exhibit halls and a 9,000-seat arena.

Other firms vying for the job were: Deloitte & Touche, KPMG Peat Marwick, Price Waterhouse, and Stein and Co.

The money to pay for the study, which also includes reimbursable expenses of up to $15,900, is from the Convention Center’s 1994-95 reserve fund, officials said.