As July 26 approaches -- the fateful date when Orange County commissioners will vote on whether or not to move forward with building a new performing arts center and arena, and renovating the Citrus Bowl -- a flurry of "education" is taking place all over town.

Education is good, we say.

It makes us all better informed.

And it can also prove to be enlightening.

So here's a couple of "huhs?" you may not know about the $1.1 billion proposed community venues, according to an economic impact study done by CSL International:

1) The construction of the three venues is estimated to generate $1.1 billion in local economic impact, including $452.9 million in personal earnings and the support of 10,800 jobs during the three- to four-year construction period.

2) When up and running, the operations of the proposed venues would generate about $619.4 million annually, including $247.1 million in earnings and the support of 7,500 jobs per year. This level of spending also would generate an estimated $24.2 million in state sales taxes, $2 million in county sales taxes and $3.5 million in tourist development tax revenues per year.

So far, most Central Floridians seem to support the concept of a performing arts center, but balk at the costs involved with a new downtown arena and renovations to the Citrus Bowl.

"The Magic need to pay more!" some cry, while others wonder what purpose the Citrus Bowl serves anyway, especially in light of the University of Central Florida now building its own football stadium on campus.

So let's take a look at some numbers, starting with the arena deal.

The Magic have agreed to pay $50 million in cash upfront toward the building of a new arena. The NBA team also has agreed to pay another $60 million in long-term lease and revenue payments and $29.5 million in financing arrangements.

Any cost overruns from the construction of a new arena also will come out of the NBA team's pockets.

How's that compare with other markets? When the FedEx Forum was built for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2004, the team paid no upfront costs. And when the SBC Center in San Antonio was built in 2002, the Spurs paid $28.5 million upfront.

There are other recent examples -- but you get the picture.

And that doesn't even include the fact that the Magic wouldn't be the only ones benefiting from a new arena. We might actually manage to land a few big-name concerts and shows, rather than watch them go to neighboring cities with better venues.

Selling the concept of Citrus Bowl renovations is a little tougher because fewer of us ever visit the facility. But without renovations, we could lose the Capital One and the Champs Sports bowls. With the renovations, we not only can keep the events we already have but might, in fact, gain a few more.

So where does this leave us?

Orlando is a growing, thriving city standing on the cusp of even greater things in the near future.

We already have a world-class airport, theme parks and resorts, and an economy any number of other cities would give their right arm to have.

The bottom line: We can't afford to miss this opportunity. It's time to move forward with achieving the first-class status Orlando deserves.