(Prensa.com) The government has identified three possible locations for its new convention center, all of them on the Amador Causeway.Two of the sites are controlled by public agencies. The first is near the Museum of Biodiversity on a 7.8-hectare site that the government deeded to the Amador Foundation to help pay for the museum. That land is valued at $70 million.
The second site is owned by the Social Security Fund, and it is much larger at 15 hectares.
The third site is on reclaimed land that was formerly owned by businessman Jean Figali, who has since been charged with money laundering. That land, which is next to the existing Figali Convention Center, has been seized by the government to offset tax liabilities owed by Figali.
The government plans to hire a consultant to select the best location and design the convention center. The government already spent $300,000 on a design for a new center, but that study has been discarded because it required land to be reclaimed between Amador and El Chorrillo.
The contract is expected to be awarded in mid-May.