Anyone who has been around Erie for awhile has heard the complaint: Whenever we use public money to build something here, we do it on the cheap. In doing so, we end up with either a substandard facility or something that ultimately costs us more money later to upgrade.

Jerry Uht Park is the first example that comes to mind. The summer home of the Erie SeaWolves has been drawing complaints that it was out of date since the day it opened.

It will be difficult, however, to tag Erie's newest tourist attraction with the "too cheap" label.

Say what you will about the new Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle, but you can't say that they scrimped.

I spent about two hours this morning getting an early look at Erie's newest tourist attraction -- a $31 million center that offers exhibits and activities for tourists and research space for scientists.

I must say, the building is impressive.

I was able to catch some movie trailers in its Imax theater, catch the orientation video in another theater, walk through the gift shop and check out some of the exhibits. After my visit, I came away more knowledgeable about Presque Isle's history, its role in Erie's development and its place in the ecosystem.

There's a nice mix of exhibits for children and adults. The facilities appear well designed. And there seems to be enough inside to keep the attention of both locals and visitors. I expect to spend quite a bit of time there once it opens for real this Friday. I suspect my children will also find plenty to enjoy.

But for that $31 million price tag to be worth it, the TREC will have to do much more than draw in local families such as mine. It will have to give visitors a reason to spend more time trolling around Erie -- and spend their money in our hotels, restaurants and shops.

The center will no doubt grab tens of thousands of visitors each year who already venture on to Presque Isle's beaches and recreation trails. TREC officials, in fact, expect the center to draw roughly 250,000 visitors annually. But how many of those likely visitors would already be coming to Presque Isle is difficult to measure.

Until we see the center in operation for awhile, it will be tough to gauge whether the state is getting the full bang on its $31 million investment.

If first impressions matter, though, the TREC appears much more likely to fulfill its promise than some of Erie's past projects.