Its ridiculous how the naysayers try to trivialize the private investment going on in downtown Wilmington. Every private enterprise, from PPD, Marriott, Indigo and numerous condo projects point to the Riverwalk and Convention Center Projects as reasons they are spending money in downtown Wilmington. Just this investment and tax dollars alone over the next few years will pay for the projects themselves, not to mention the increased capacity to draw in tourists who spend money. Jobs for construction. Permanent Jobs downtown. So what if the convention center loses some money? SO WHAT? Your going to trade all this investment and jobs just because the convention center finishes in the red some years? These naysayers are idiots that dont want any type of public investment...ever. Thalian Hall was a convention center in its day. Should we just tear it down. Was that not a good use of money in the 1850's?