Monroeville Mayor Nick Gresock said he and the City Council will do everything possible to prevent the Monroeville Convention Center from closing. “We're just exploring all options. We're just trying to do what's best for Monroeville, and we want to reiterate that we want to welcome all businesses to Monroeville. As you know. I know that Hobby Lobby is a proposed tenant for a portion of the building.'' They are not renting the entire building, just a portion of the building, so for them the Monroe Building We would be happy to find another location,” Mayor Gresock said. “We're really upset and we're just as upset as they are. We really feel bad for them because there's a lot of people attending. These will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It's not a small show, they're a small show, they're mom and pop, they spend a lot of money on advertising, they invest a lot of money into these shows, but if it's If it’s not Monroeville, I don’t know where it’s going,” Mayor Gresock said. ________________________________________________ Word spread quickly about the closure of the Monroeville Convention Center. “I'm not very happy,” Josh Toney, owner of Big Rigs BBQ, said of the news. Tony said the convention center “will definitely bring us some business.” The restaurant is about three miles from the convention center, but Toney said a big event there has led to an increase in customers. The center's owner, Oxford Development, said in a statement Monday that events at the center after June 1 have received a closure notice. A Hobby Lobby store will occupy that space. “There was no record sent to the municipality that this action would be taken,” said Alex Graziani, Monroeville's municipal manager. “We were very surprised.” Graziani said the local government did not choose for this to happen and wants the convention center to operate successfully in Monroeville. Ta. City leaders are currently working with other stakeholders to see if they can rebuild the convention center. “We're working with tourism and convention boards to figure out how to make the most of this moving forward,” he said. He said. “We owe it to our businesses, our restaurants, our hotels to find a way to make sure they can make space or have space made for them,” Monroeville's mayor said Tuesday. He plans to address the issue at a district council meeting.
Monroeville Mayor Nick Gresock said he and the City Council will do everything possible to prevent the Monroeville Convention Center from closing.
“We're just exploring all options. We're just trying to do what's best for Monroeville, and we want to reiterate that we want to welcome all businesses to Monroeville. As you know. I know that Hobby Lobby is a proposed tenant for a portion of the building.'' They are not renting the entire building, just a portion of the building, so for them the Monroe Building We would be happy to find another location,” Mayor Gresock said.
“We're really upset and we're just as upset as they are. We really feel bad for them because there's a lot of people attending. These will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It's not a small show, they're a small show, they're mom and pop, they spend a lot of money on advertising, they invest a lot of money into these shows, but if it's If it’s not Monroeville, I don’t know where it’s going,” Mayor Gresock said.
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Word of the Monroeville Convention Center's closure spread quickly.
Josh Toney, owner of Big Rig's Barbecue, said he was “not too excited” about the news. He said the convention center “definitely brings us some business.”
The restaurant is about three miles from the convention center, but Tony said a big event was held there and the number of customers increased.
The center's owner, Oxford Development, said in a statement Monday that events at the center after June 1 have received a closure notice. A Hobby Lobby store will be located.
“There was no record sent to the city that this action would be taken,” Monroeville City Manager Alex Graziani said. “We were very surprised.”
Graziani said the local government did not choose to do this and wants to see a successful convention center operating in Monroeville. City leaders are currently working with other stakeholders to see if the convention center can be rebuilt.
“We're working with the tourism board and the convention board to figure out how to make the most of this moving forward,” he said. “It's up to businesses, restaurants and hotels to find a way to see if we can create space or have space created for us.”
Monroeville's mayor plans to address the issue at Tuesday's borough council meeting.
