The case study is available on the Website published by the law firm Nexsen Pruet, where Mayor Bob Coble is a profit- sharing member.

We are looking into this alleged competition- free award of significant legal work. Could be pro bono, but we don't know. About the same time as the construction of the city's convention center, the private 40,000- square- foot Columbia Conference Center's hard construction costs came to $4,000,000, or $100/sq. ft.; and the federal government's 260,000- square- foot National Advocacy Center at the corner of Pendleton and Pickens reported hard construction costs of $26,000,000, or $100/sq. ft.

On the other hand, the $40,000,000 convention center, as highlighted by the Nexsen Pruet Web site, contains 142,500 square feet, which means it cost about $280/sq. ft.

http://www.nexsenpruet. com/firm-casestudies 2.html.