‘A devastating blow’: Monroeville mayor issues response to convention center closure

MONROEVILLE, Pa. — Monroeville’s mayor issued a letter regarding the impending closure of the Monroeville Convention Center.

Channel 11 told you this week of plans to convert the building into a retail space in the coming months.

At a council meeting the day after plans were released, Mayor Nick Gresock said he was hopeful the lease agreement could be stopped.

In a letter to those involved in the sale written with “extreme concern” on behalf of Visit Monroeville, the Convention Visitors Bureau of Monroeville, Gresock said the closure of the convention center would be a “devastating blow to the tourism economy we have worked to develop for decades.”

Gresock said the convention center draws 400,000 people each year to Monroeville restaurants and businesses. Additionally, 20,000 hotel rooms related to convention center events are booked each year.

“It truly is a community asset and a well-loved destination for convention hosts and attendees from far and wide,” Gresock said. “As such, we are strongly opposed to the closure of the MCC and are exploring all legal options to save it.”

Gresock said without the convention center, many of those businesses would close.

“We want to be clear and unambiguous: We would welcome a Hobby Lobby store in Monroeville,” Gresock said. “We ask for the opportunity to work with you to find a great location for Hobby Lobby, while also preserving our convention center.”

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