Proceed carefully when considering privately run La Crosse Center

The City of La Crosse doesn’t always get it right. But one thing it has gotten right for many years is the administration of the La Crosse Center. The newly renovated convention center is becoming the crown jewel of downtown, attracting tens of thousands of people to events there each year. With more space for more events, that number is expected to grow. The La Crosse Center is profitable and has been for a number of years. It is estimated the Center is responsible for about $40 million in economic impact to the La Crosse area, and generates upward of $200,000 a year in sales taxes. In short, things are working fine there. It is curious then that Mayor Mitch Reynolds is talking of handing the running of the Center over to a private company. He says it would be similar to how the Forest Hills golf course is run. The city owns it and hires a private firm to operate it. That make sense, because the city had no track record of trying to run a golf course. That isn’t the case with the Center, which has had decades of stable leadership and a board of directors that includes representatives from the city and now the county as well. It seems the Center is well run and performing well. With the recent investment in the building and a good track record, it seems misguided for the city to wash its hands of the day-to-day operations of the Center.