Monroe Convention Center expansion moves forward with site, architect selection

An Indianapolis firm has been selected as the architect/engineer for expansion of Monroe Convention Center and renovation of the existing building.

Monroe County Capital Improvement Board voted unanimously last week to hire Schmidt Associates for the $52 million project, which includes the Schmidt fee of $4.4 million.

At its June meeting, the board chose Weddle Brothers as construction manager and settled on expanding eastward, across College Avenue, to the southeast corner of Third Street. The Schmidt fee will be paid from food and beverage tax funds.

The board’s plan places priority on construction of the expanded meeting site, which will add 60,000 square feet to the convention center and is expected to be finished by December 2026. Second priority is renovation of 40,000 square feet within the existing center.

Before selecting an eastward expansion, the board had evaluated growing to the west or to the south. It found the most advantages growing east, including:

• Close connection to the Fourth Street Garage,
• Two potential hotel sites and
• Land availability.

Growing east also “enables restaurant/retail development to the south,” the board concluded. But it also noted two potential disadvantages of an east plan:

• Lacks clear connection to Hyatt Place and
• Requires two overhead walkways above College Avenue.

The seven members of the Capital Improvement Board are John Whikehart, who serves as president, and Joyce Poling, both appointed by Monroe County Commissioners; Adam Thies and Jay Baer, appointed by Mayor Kerry Thomson; Eric Spoonmore, appointed by Monroe County Council; Doug Bruce, appointed by Bloomington City Council; and Jim Silberstein, appointed by the other members.