Legislative findings.

The legislature finds that: A. there is a need for appropriate facilities in this state to enhance, foster, aid, provide and promote transportation, economic development, housing, recreation, education, culture, history and sense of place and for governmental operations necessary to support such activities; B. there is a need for suitable facilities for expositions, conventions, exhibitions, meetings, banquets and related facilities that will enhance or supplement facilities currently available for these activities in order to promote the state and its counties and municipalities as attractive destinations to convention and visitor industry planners; C. there is a great tradition in the state involving railway transportation that can be integrated with expositions, conventions and exhibitions and planned commuter rail transportation facilities for the mutual benefit of the state and out-of-state visitors participating in expositions, conventions and exhibitions; and D. private enterprise alone cannot provide facilities of the type and size to achieve a first-class exposition center, but by establishing an authority to plan, develop, manage and operate a suitable exposition center the state can achieve a great public benefit at the least public cost through the use of leases, concessions and other contractual relationships with private enterprise.