Waiting for better plans for La Crosse Center expansion

La Crosse Center expansion plans, take two. Months after the city said no to controversial design plans for a multi-million dollar makeover of La Crosse’s convention center, revised plans are about to be released to the public. The initial designs, looking like something from outer space, called for the expansion of the Center to jut out over Riverside Park. That design wasn’t well received by the public, or Mayor Tim Kabat, who sent designers back to the drawing board to come up with a better designed and less costly plan. What will that look like? We will find out next week. The city has scheduled a public forum for Wednesday of next week to reveal what they say are two or three proposed designs. It will be our first chance to see what an expanded La Crosse Center might look like. It is a chance for backers of the plan to make their pitch, and a chance for critics to say what they would like to see. It is important that those interested in the future of the Center to offer their thoughts early in the process, rather than waiting until the plan is due for a final vote. La Crosse needs an expanded and updated La Crosse Center in order to maintain existing conventions and to attract new ones. Let’s hope the 2.0 version of the plan is better looking and more palatable to the public.