CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Recreation & Tourism Authority board is starting to get things reorganized for Visit Clearfield County. Yesterday some housekeeping items were taken care of and the board approved some grant awards and looked at future events.
Seven grants were recommended by the hotel tax committee at a total amount of $19,486.47. These included:
- $686.47 to Bilger’s Rocks Association for rack cards for promotion;
- $1,500 to Cinderella’s Boutique for advertising and marketing;
- $7,500 to Curwensville Lake Recreation Authority for Web site design, updated brochures and advertising;
- $7,500 to The Depot at Doolittles for signage;
- $1,000 to Downtown DuBois Revitalization Group for Grapes and Hopes Walk advertising and promoting the event outside of a 50-mile radius;
- $300 to Jim’s Sports Center for rack cards; and
- $1,000 to Quehanna Industrial Development Corp. to market and advertise the Elk Antler Shed Hunt.
Three grants were also denied. Brothers Pizza in Coalport’s application was too late and they are encouraged to apply in the spring. Doc G’s application was to renovate the building and Warriors Mark Wingshooting failed to submit the second part of the application.
Solicitor Fred Neiswender submitted a letter of resignation, which was accepted by the board, and Andrew Gates was appointed as the new solicitor. After an executive session, the board approved the memorandum of understanding between CCRTA and the county.
VCC had a VISA card account with four employee cards and a $7,500 limit. The board approved cancelling this card and opening a new account with one card and a $1,000 limit.
Board member Mark McCracken noted the cards were getting used too much and the board looked into the matter. He said nothing illegal was going on, but many of the charges should either have gone to the board first, or not have been made at all. One of the charges was $4,400 and some things were of questionable value.
“We were shocked at the use,” Chairwoman Terri Cunkle added.
Later in the meeting, a committee to review past year financials was appointed, including Bonnie Harper, Mark Burnett, Cunkle and Sue Williams.
The board also approved a Kwik Fill gas card for the tourism van and a fuel sheet. If the van cannot be fueled at a Kwik Fill or related station, then the cost of fuel will be reimbursed.
With all the changes, some things regarding the new Web site were not taken care of. Acting Director Sue Swales-Vitullo said these items are being worked on, such as the social media icons being added and the links fixed.
Some features for the mobile site were also fixed. A couple things they would like added to it included a Google Maps feature and displaying search items by town required an additional fee and the board approved the fees totaling $350.
Swales-Vitullo talked with the board concerning photos for the Web site and social media pages. Earlier this year, the board had hired a photographer to take photos and even paid a deposit of $600 towards the total $6,000 agreed on.
However, there was a conflict and the photographer returned the deposit. Swales-Vitullo suggested that VCC could hold a photo and video contest on Facebook and request high resolution photos from the public with the understanding that any and all submissions could be used by VCC on the Web site or social media.
Each month a winner will be chosen from submitted photos based on the numbers of likes and shares, and the winner will receive a prize, possibly a $100 VISA gift card. The board agreed on the plan and recommended getting exact wording for the disclaimer from Gates. Watch VisitClearfieldCounty.org and their Facebook page for more information.
The board also reviewed a list of possible trade shows for 2017. Swales-Vitullo said they usually try to attend four or five each year. The list included one in West Virginia and one in Michigan.
She said the office does get visits and requests from both areas and she would like to explore attending one or the other. VCC has also attended shows in Hamburg, NY and Erie, and she is looking to return to the Great Outdoor Show in Hershey and VCC has been invited back.
She added Philadelphia has a good show and also noted that the Toronto Motorcycle Spring Show has been very successful and the area has received many visitors thanks to that show.
After some discussion, the board approved the list and asked Swales-Vitullo to determine which five she would like VCC to attend and bring the list back to the board.
A resolution regarding meeting conduct was approved. Public comment regarding agenda items will be held at the beginning of each meeting with each person given three minutes.
The chairperson will be able to rule if items are out of order, scandalous, etc. and be able to end a comment session. Also, for items not previously on the agenda, after the motion and second, the chairperson can call for public comment on the matter before a vote.
Board member John Sobel asked about the no parking signs and orange cones outside of the entrance to the offices. Swales-Vitullo explained there had been problems with delivery trucks parking there for hours and the signs and cones had been purchased privately to discourage this.
Sobel noted people have talked with him about this and said it makes the entrance look uninviting. He suggested removing them and then talking with management at Save-A-Lot about delivery vehicles.