Well, it  looks like we are finally going to see the plans for the new convention center become a reality.  New location, but a better one in my opinion.

Days after the government announced its intention to sell the Atlapa Convention Center, it has announced a tender for January, for the design and construction of a new project.

The government hopes to raise between $70 and $80 million from the sale of the Atlapa convention center.

This tender aims to find potential suppliers not only for the design and construction, but also for the equipment of the structure to be built in the Amador Causeway, behind the Figali Convention Center.

The specifications for the new complex, which will have significant differences from the previous Atlapa center, will be published on the PanamaCompra system within a few weeks.

An article in Prensa.com states: “The original idea was that the amphitheater would be built on a landfill at the end of El Chorrillo, accompanied by a modern city that would include buildings, hotels and recreation areas, according to the conceptual design of the U.S. company Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM). But the high cost of filling 60 acres of seabed made the government look for firm ground.

The work represents an investment of 120 million dollars. This week the Minister of Economy and Finance, Frank De Lima, reaffirmed that the project will be included in the Public Private Partnership project, under which the private sector would assume the funding. “