COEUR d'ALENE - The Thursday morning workshop announcing cost estimates for the McEuen Field redevelopment project isn't going anywhere.

City Administrator Wendy Gabriel said Monday the city explored moving it to the more spacious Community Room of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, but that room was already booked for a health and wellness fair.

Instead of moving the meeting out of the downtown shortly before starting time, the city is keeping it scheduled for 7.30 a.m. at the Event Center at Parkside Tower, 601 E. Front Ave.

"We expect to be able to accommodate everyone who shows up, Gabriel said.

At 5 Thursday afternoon, a McEuen Field support rally will kick off at the north side of the park. The rally, open to the public, is expected to last around 10 minutes as a way for people to show support for the project, said Darrell Dlouhy, event organizer.

The city had explored moving the morning meeting to the library after citizen Robert Cliff expressed concern that the cost estimates associated with the McEuen Park project were so important, the meeting would attract big crowds as previous meetings on the topic have.

"I think it's as important as the vision they laid out," he said of the announced costs, preferring the workshop be at the library or at North Idaho College. "I don't think it's an outrageous request."

But officials said the Event Center room - which isn't the Miller Stauffer Architect's office or conference room - should be able to handle the crowd. It can hold up to 200 people, and hosted last month's McEuen Field workshop, which attracted around 40 spectators.

Re-routing people away from downtown to North Idaho College seemed too inconvenient days before the already-announced workshop, Gabriel said.

The workshop won't be televised, as workshops typically aren't, officials said. Gabriel said the city didn't anticipate televising it since the last one on the project wasn't.

But the public will have other opportunities to discuss cost at televised, public meetings down the line.

"This won't be the only opportunity to look at cost estimates, only the first," Gabriel said of the figures eventually going to more public meetings.

Workshops aren't public meetings where the City Council makes motions on official city business; rather officials discuss ideas. They are open to the public but do not take public testimony.