Lodging Panel Approves Events to Close Year of Funding
Russ Baldwin | Dec 16, 2011 | Comments 0
All three requests received funding during the last meeting of the year by Lodging Tax Panel Board members, although not all votes were unanimous.
Mary Breslin, Lamar Ledger publisher, requested funding for a full page ad in the paper’s tourism publication, Discover Magazine. The board voted to approve a half page advertisement at $350 focusing on motel availability in the county. Discover Magazine is a free, annual publication, distributed throughout the southeast Colorado region. New editions are published every spring.
Axel Thurner, incoming Lamar Chamber of Commerce President for 2012 requested and received $270 to help pay the cost of the chamber’s annual fees for their new website. Thurner also requested an annual contract from the Lodging Panel for future commitments, but Panel members decided against such a move, not wanting to commit future board members to their decision. There was some discussion as to whether the county should be the party signing any contract of that nature.
Thurner also requested $600 in funding to help advertise a new event at the Prowers County Fairgrounds next April 28 and 29th. Colorado Mounted Thunder out of Pueblo, a horse riding and shooting team will perform in what will be billed as a ‘Border War’ this spring between teams from Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Thurner said the competition sport is gaining in popularity, combining horse riding skills with accuracy with a pistol, shotgun and rifle over a set course and time limits. He said black powder blanks are used to shoot balloons over pre-arranged courses. Some of the funds would be used to hire local youths, perhaps from school sports teams to constantly replace the balloons at the arena during the competition. He anticipated some 80 to 90 entries would attend the spring event. Pat Palmer recommended his request be raised to $1,000 and board members voted approval.
A review of the Lodging Tax Panel budget at year’s end shows $104,399.82 in expenses for 2011. Of that $101,584 was generated from taxes on motel rooms and was spent on tourism related advertising, marketing and projects to benefit Prowers County.
By Russ Baldwin
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