Calls for simultaneous refurb for New York's Javits Centre

Leading US politicians have called for two phases of the refurbishment of New York's leading convention centre to be managed simultaneously, in a bid to complete its expansion by 2010. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and US Senator Charles E Schumer recommended that the second phase of the Jacob Javits Convention Centre took place alongside the first later this year, with the few to avoiding disruption and bringing forward the opening date of the refurbished venue. Schumer said: "New York City needs a convention centre that can host the biggest, most lucrative trade shows and conventions. Building phase two now will help create thousands of new, permanent jobs and secure the future of our tourism industry." Chairman of NYC & Company Jonathan Tisch backed the plan. He said: "By investing in phase two of the Javits Center expansion, we will ensure that New York City continues to have a thriving and lucrative convention business that generates jobs, economic activity and tax revenues. One of the key reasons we supported this plan was its ability to make an additional expansion possible." This new space would bring the venue’s total meeting capacity to 130,000sqms, putting it in the top tier of convention centres in the US. The expansion is expect to cost around £316 million and will be funded by contributions from New York State, New York City, a dedicated hotel-key surcharge of 79p per night, and the sale of publicly-owned property.