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The economic impact of these improvements is equatty significant. As more visitors attend events at the modernized facitity, they witt spend more in the tocat economy-staying in hotets, dining at restaurants, shopping at tocat businesses, and fueting at area gas stations. The Kittitas Vatl"ey Event Center serves as a key economic driver for Kittitas County by generating a significant votume of overnight stays in Lodging facilities located both inside and outside the City of Ettensburg. However, the non-City hotet stays directty contribute to the Kittitas County Lodging Tax fund, reinforcing the Event Center's critical rote in supporting regionat tourism. Tabte 2.1 il,tustrates where KVEC visitors stayed beyond city boundaries, demonstrating the far-reaching impact on the locaI economy. With the ptanned enhancements, this impact is expected to grow, further estabtishing the Event Center as a key contributor to overnight visitation and regionaI economic devetopment. lncreased activity wil.t support tocat jobs and generate sustained growth, benefiting both residents and business owners. Table-2J Ptacer.ai Favorite Places' February 1,2024-lanuary 31' 2O2L HolelLosaltea ,IYEC-Sharen,.Uisiipl$ The Lodge @ Suncadia 8400 Suncadia Resort 5900 Canyon River Ranch 4100 TOTAL 78/,00 ln addition, improvements to the visitor experience witt pl,ay a criticat rote in the success of the redevetopment. Modernized seating, enhanced accessibilityfeatures, and upgraded amenities witt make the venue more comfortabte and incl.usive for att attendees, inctuding individual,s with disabitities. A more enjoyabte and welcoming experience encourages repeat visits and fosters tastlng community pride and Loyalty to the venue. These combined benefits hightight the importance of investing in the Event Center to ensure it continues to thrive as a vibrant hub for entertainment, culture, and civic COnnection. Operationat capacity is al.so poised to increase. The upgraded grandstands witt make it feasibte to schedul,e 27 additionat event days in the Rodeo Arena. Assuming these are typicat mutti-day events, the venue coutd support approximatety 9 new targe-scale events between mid-May and mid-October-even accounting for the annuat temporary ctosure required for Fair and Rodeo preparations. These events can include the NationaI Team Roping Finals, monster truck ratties and other stunt/thritt shows, concerts or live stage performances, and new opportunities such as regionat high school or cotlegiate rodeo championships. The enhanced seating and infrastructure wil.t not only attract a broader