(1) It is found and determined that: There is an immediate need to promote and further develop tourism, convention and employment opportunities in this state, by facilitating the acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of convention center facilities along with associated hotel accommodations; transportation infrastructure; tourism, theatre, retail business and commercial office space facilities; parking facilities; parks; greenways; open space and any and all facilities related to any of these;
(2) The development of such facilities will provide a means to attract conventions, public assemblies, conferences, trade exhibitions or other business, social, cultural, scientific and public interest events to the state, enhance the state's image as a convention destination, and encourage and foster economic development and prosperity and employment within the state;
(3) An authority is needed in individual communities to prepare comprehensive, long-range master plans for the orderly development of convention center facilities and to promote related activities; and
(4) In many instances, effective cooperation between various units of government has been hampered because of inadequate statutory authority.
(5) It is the purpose of this chapter to address these findings by providing for the establishment of convention center authorities to plan, promote, finance, construct, acquire, renovate, equip and enlarge convention center facilities along with associated hotel accommodations; transportation infrastructure; tourist, theatre and retail business facilities; commercial offices; parking lots or garages and any and all facilities related to any of these. The primary purpose of any and all such facilities shall be the conduct and service of conventions, public assemblies, conferences, trade exhibitions or other business, social, cultural, scientific and public interest events and related activities, but use of these facilities need not be limited to those events.
(6) This chapter shall be liberally construed in conformity with its purpose.