Convention center project proposed by group

A 60,000-square-foot convention center that could host up to 2,000 people is being considered by a group of business owners along Lorch Avenue, near the intersection of Highway 93 and Interstate 94 in Eau Claire .

Tom Hahn, Kerry Kjelstad and Mark Steil, who co-own Action City and the new 107-room hotel under construction called The Metropolis, have partnered with Dave Burke, the owner of The Florian Gardens. The group detailed plans this week at an Eau Claire County Exposition Center Facility Commission meeting for a complex that could attract larger corporate events and conferences than what other properties can accommodate in the region.

The proposed convention center would be developed on land to the west of the existing Florian Gardens. However much of the property is currently owned by the Eau Claire YMCA. TBL