Awful convention center seats pose problem in Fort Worth

The Fort Worth city council has to decide whether to spend money on a building that will likely be torn down in a few years or risk convention business.

Nothing shows the age of the Fort Worth Convention Center like its seats.

“The whole building has outlived its usefulness,” said Mayor Betsy Price. “These seats are pretty despicable and people complain about them.”

Rhonda Sparks is in town for an event.

“The seats have rips and tears and screws are loose. You sit down at your own risk,” she said.

It would cost the city close to a million dollars to fix the problem, but there are plans to tear down the 1968 convention arena and build a new one downtown.

Still, the project is seven to 10 years away and there are 59 conventions booked at the Fort Worth Convention Center over the next five years.

“All of these convention groups are coming into town spending money, creating tax dollars. We want to keep them here and make sure they have a great experience,” said Kirk Slaughter, the Fort Worth facilities director.

The city council must decide if it’s worth spending the money.