Ursula: Seattle Center is still a ‘vital part of the city’ despite $500M repair bill

After a fire alarm failure cost Seattle more than $100,000, city officials estimated that the Seattle Center would need $500 million to fix its aging systems.

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin, co-hosts of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, debated whether $500 million in upgrades would be worth it to preserve the Seattle Center rather than letting it “go by the wayside.”

“I believe it is. I believe that the Seattle Center does need to be updated; it is such a beautiful thing when you can go from the Space Needle through all the other things there,” Gee said. “But, we get taxed to death so much, you need to have more private ownership, because we already get taxed on everything else.”

Ursula noted that many aspects of the Seattle Center are long overdue for an upgrade. Even though the center remains a Seattle staple, Ursula questioned where the funds for refurbishment would come from, as the city currently faces a massive budget shortfall.

“I think it’s a vital part of the city and this region,” Ursula said. “But the Space Needle is privately owned, and there’s still Seattle Center as a gathering place. There are many buildings nearby that are decades past their intended lifespan. I would hate for it to go by the wayside, but where is that $500 million coming from? We have a budget deficit right now, and in the grand scheme of things, people are feeling overtaxed.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.