The convention center conundrum: Why one alderman thinks new and bigger are better

MILWAUKEE (WITI) --  Making Milwaukee more happening -- One Milwaukee Alderman thinks it'll take a new arena and a bigger convention center. He told the state that the two buildings should work together to find the money, but not everyone is on board.

Without the bustle of an NBA crowd, or throngs of people gathered for a convention, the area around the BMO Harris Bradley Center and Wisconsin Center can sometimes seem sleepy.

"There is still a need for a convention hotel with meeting space, and of course this would be privately funded, the report also calls for an entertainment district," says Milwaukee Alderman Terry Witkowski.

Witkowski is talking about a consultant's report that calls for expanding exhibit, meeting and ballroom space at the Wisconsin Center.

"The cost associated with phase three is $150 million dollars. The economic impact for the community is annually $63 million dollars that it would bring in and it would create 644 jobs," says Witkowski.

Witkowski says the Wisconsin Center and the BMO Harris Bradley Center are both going through transition periods. So, any plans for a new arena should include the Wisconsin Center.

"See, if there is room for this to be merged, to go through an enlightening process to determine what's best for downtown Milwaukee, which buildings live and which buildings die," says Witkowski.

But Frank Gimbel, the chairman of the Wisconsin Center Board, says this has  been talked about in the past but never ended in a deal.

"We couldn`t agree on what the governance would be of the structure that would run the two or multiple facilities, and only one of the facilities has taxing authorities at the Wisconsin Center district," says Gimbel.

Gimbel says he is a fan of the two venues working together, but there is not enough revenue from sources to meet the capital needs of both entities.

State Representative Josh Zepnick also expressed concern about the report and possible merger.

Zepnick showed up with his own proposal of redevelopment. His idea would put a new arena between the Marquette campus and the Potawatomi Casino and Hotel.