The Trotter Convention Center will soon be open for business.
City officials say the $2.3 renovation of the Trotter will be completed by Jan. 20. Beginning with a bridal show on Jan. 24, the facility will be a busy place on most weekends.
Since its opening as a convention center in 1987, the Trotter has proven to be a wonderful asset for the community. The much-anticipated renovations, which go far beyond cosmetics, should make the Trotter an even more attractive venue for conferences, parties, small-scale merchandising shows and a wide range of other events.
Certainly, it has proven to be a wise investment of taxpayer money.
The renovations, which include new state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, a new facade and a gleaming entrance hall, should expand the usefulness of the facility, but they are not the only thing new about the Trotter.
The center will also have a new director. Mike Anderson. A retired Navy commander, Anderson comes to the Trotter from the Mississippi State University Extension Service and served as an adjunct professor of economics at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba.
It is our hope as the Trotter enters a new era under new leadership, its value to the community will only increase.
The Trotter is a public facility, paid for by taxpayer money, and therefore should be managed and operated in a manner that is above reproach. The facilities do not belong to any public official, to be used at their discretion.
We believe rental rates and agreements should be uniform and uniformly applied. We believe, too, that careful, detailed records should be kept, which hasn’t always been the case.
These measures will affirm that the Trotter belongs to the taxpayers and the taxpayers’ interests will always take precedence.
We look forward to many more years of great events at the Trotter and that it will continue to be a source of pride for all of our citizens.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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