ST. LOUIS — St. Louis legislators on Friday allocated $15.3 million more for the expansion of the downtown convention center, America's Center, but the bill's sponsor acknowledged she did not know how much more the project would need.
The funding, passed by an 11-3 vote of aldermen and backed by St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, came from interest gained on the city's federal American Rescue Plan Act money.
Sponsor Alderwoman Cara Spencer, who represents downtown, said that for the city to succeed, it needs to have an economic engine, and that downtown, through money generated by its activity, helps to subsidize services utilized by other city neighborhoods.
Still, she said she shared concerns from Alderwoman Sharon Tyus about cost overruns associated with the project, and pledged that the Board of Aldermen's budget committee, which Spencer chairs, would be "probing where we're going on this."
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