What's next, now that a majority of Brookings city councilors have given the go-ahead on moving forward with Swiftel Center expansion plans? City Manager Jeff Weldon said that since the council approval was contingent on finding a private developer to build a hotel attached to the center, that's where he's focusing his efforts right now.

The price tag for the Swiftel Center expansion was most recently estimated at more than $7.8 million.

A floor plan proposed by architects shows the addition of new meeting rooms, a ballroom, storage areas, a kitchen, concourse dressing rooms and restrooms, as well as remodeling some areas already in the Swiftel Center. Proponents have also said that an 80-to 100-room hotel addition built and owned by a private developer is necessary for the project to succeed.

Weldon said he took the council's Jan. 26 decision as a positive sign for the proposed expansion, because an attached hotel has always been identified as an important ingredient for the project.

But that council action was necessary for finding a hotel partner. Prospective developers want to see that the city is serious about a Swiftel expansion, the city manager explained.

"We had to get council authorization to get to this point. Hotels need to see how committed the council is, to be on board with progress. " It was a critical next step and says the city is serious about the project."

Now the city manager is trying to identify different hotel franchises or individuals who represent hotel franchises . He wants to talk to them about the project so they, if interested, can submit hotel proposals to the city.

"Hopefully we'll be able to get proposals from a number of franchises." Weldon said publicity about the city council's Jan. 26 action has already prompted some interest in a hotel.

The city manager has received some calls that he's following up on now. But he's also trying to be assertive by going out and identifying people who represent hotel franchises.

"I've been responding to inquiries, but also seeking out people who do this work for hotels, to let them know the opportunity is there."

He will continue to update city councilors on progress if there is any to report. But how long it will take to make progress is unknown.

"Sometimes these things take some time. Hotels don't make decisions overnight to locate to a new market. But hopefully in six to eight weeks we should know if there's some interest out there."

Weldon said the expansion proposal is a front-burner issue in terms of commanding his time and attention. But "the whole project is on hold until we make progress on this part."

At this point, there's no more work to be done or information to gather on the Swiftel Center expansion itself.

The city manager cautioned that it's still too early in the process to know whether the expansion and hotel will become reality.

"I'm very optimistic it will happen if we can strike a good arrangement with a hotel."

But if the citizens of Brookings don't like what happens down the road, there will always be the opportunity for a referral, just like with any other city project.

Contact Jill Fier at jfier@brookingsregister .com.