Terry McMahon's Awesome Blog

If you're not from Rhode Island, your capital city's convention center is neither called the Dunkin' Donuts Arena nor conventionally known as "The Dunk." That's okay, because you too probably participate in the most common activity at The Dunk and most other convention centers: losing money! The Providence Journal (affectionately known as the ProJo) reports that the Dunkin' Donuts Arena only owes $2.4 million in unpaid bills. (Didn't NSync sell 2.4 million copies of one of their albums the first week?

Now, from what I've heard from steamed-ham and urban-planning experts, including those currently on vacation in Trenton, is that convention centers always lose money. As in, mayors will propose expensive new convention centers, on the idea that this will bring in conventions and thus give the city's whole economy a boost. Of course, these things cost a ton to build and maintain, and if it's in the middle of the city there's always the chance the land could be used for something better. As the chairman of the state House Finance Committee says, "That's what's important here ... what is the value of that building? If we're going to purchase the building and land -- the land is the valuable piece."

So I write with two purposes: one, to see if anyone has any insight to whether it's true that these things lose so much money, and two, to dissuade any future urban planners from thinking, yet again, that a new convention center will be a cure-all for the city's financial woes. At least look at past examples before you take a Dunk, if you will, on taxpayer money in an expanded Javits Center on Manhattan's West Side. OK?

UPDATE 6/17: She's hot as a tamale and smart as a whip, and Katy Hight lets us know in the comments that the nonpartisan Brookings Institution did a report confirming Team SOTW's hypothesis. Way to go!

P.S. Am I the only one who thinks the Brookings logo looks a little like the shape of RI? Have I been here too long?