R.I. Convention Center Authority scored in legislator report

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Convention Center Authority buildings are not contributing as they should to the economic vitality of Rhode Island, according to a report issued Wednesday by a coalition of Republican lawmakers.

And the management has little incentive to streamline costs to operate the facilities because of “guaranteed taxpayer funding,” the House Republican Minority Caucus policy group reported.

The report describes under-utilized facilities with booking levels that are failing to cover operating expenses. “Their mission is to help our economy by bringing in visitors,” said Rep. Patricia L. Morgan, R-Coventry, who authored the report. “They’re supposed to be doing it for the least amount of money. They haven’t been following that.”

The Dunkin’ Donuts Center, for example, has averaged fewer than 12 events a month since January 2012, leaving it unoccupied 60 percent of the month, the policy group reported.

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In some months during the summer, the facility wasn’t used at all, the report stated. From June 2012 through August 2014, the facility had 40 events, averaging 4.4 a month. Out of 270 days, fewer than 15 percent were booked, the report found.

A copy of the report was distributed Wednesday to James P. McCarvill, executive director of the authority, according to Morgan. He could not be reached for comment.

The report is the product of three months of research and employee interviews, according to Morgan. The eight-representative policy group met bi-weekly to examine records provided by the Convention Center Authority, which oversees three publicly supported facilities: the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, the R.I. Convention Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

Morgan said the Convention Center has had a pattern of declining attendance, with 9,000 fewer people in 2014 than the 318,000 people who attended its events in 2006. “The building seems to be just ‘going along’,” she said. “There are no performance measures. There’s no accountability.” She said the group found no evidence of a formal marketing plan, which would indicate how the center bookings compare to centers in cities with similar demographics.

In its findings, the policy group criticized the management structure of the authority facilities, which includes an appointed board, professional staff and sub-contracted private vendors. “Recently the authority restructured,” the report stated. “The in-house management teams for each building were hired by the private vendor. The employee has now hired the employer. This appears to create a conflict.”

Spending practices and incentive payments for employees were criticized, as well. The policy group found 11 executive-level employees receive free parking and an automobile allowance, which cost in excess of $95,000.

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