|
|
|
By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN A rumor that a bill might be filed in the Indiana General Assembly to merge the Porter County, LaPorte County and Lake County tourism offices, led Porter County Convention Recreation and Visitor Commission members to vote unanimously Tuesday to contract with a lobby firm to watch for such a bill being offered as an amendment during this session of the legislature. The $5,000 contract will provide the PCCRVC with a briefing on anything that might affect the PCCRVC, said Vice President David Canright, who added that he believes the expenditure is worthwhile. Also approved Tuesday afternoon, was a $5,000 grant to the City of Valparaiso so it could contract with HyattPalma for a study assessing the sidewalks, parking, signs, sound systems, Parks, and more. According to PCCRVC member Matt Murphy, HyattPalma was hired in 2002 for a study that Mayor Costas began working to achieve. A few months ago, it was suggested HyattPalma do an update. Meanwhile, the Roger Brooks study had been contracted with Tourism to work with the county to improve tourism within the county. According to Executive Director Lorelei Weimer, the two study groups often dovetail each other. The Roger Brooks Destination Development International study will be in Porter County April 2 through April 10. PCCRVC will be coordinating the project for County and Community Branding, Product Development and Marketing plans. The HyattPalma study will follow. Weimer also announced PCCRVC has been awarded $75,000 to fund phases II through IV of the Ecology Trail project. PCCRVC budgeted $100,000 for these phases and will be the PCCRVC match for the $75,000 grant. The anticipated starting date is July 1. Becky Fox, marketing director, said PCCRVC received six proposals for a Writer of Record and eight proposals for Designer of Record for the bureau. The contracts for the individual firms is expected to be made by the end of the month. Fox also reported 40 area artisans attended a recent Arts & Earth Trail meeting to hear progress on the project to link arts marketing across northern Indiana. Treasurer Judy Chaplin reported the February 2009 innkeepers tax collection was $58,466.31, an 18 percent decrease from 2008. However, Canright noted that the figure is still the second best ever received for the January/February period. Nevertheless, Weimer said the staff will be watching the figures and the trends in the troubled economy. The board also approved January claims for $60,695.27, which was 4.6 percent of the 2009 budget. Members agreed to meet March 31 from 2-4 p.m. for a retreat with Don Anderson to work on its strategic plan and conduct a regular monthly board meeting from 4-4:30 p.m.
Posted 2/18/2009 |
