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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-07-11 - Minutes• • GROUP: DATE: PRESENT: ABSENT: ADVERTISING & July 11, 1994 Coy Kaylor Joe Fennel Woody Bassett Jon Davidson Linda McBride Fred Hanna Jim Waselues CALL TO ORDER: PROMOTION COMMISSION Susan Stirewalt Ben Mayes Marilyn Johnson Steve Ward The meeting was called to order by Chairman Coy Kaylor at 2:00 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce. MONTHLY REPORTS: MINUTES Moved by McBride, second by Davidson to approve the minutes of the June meeting. Motion carried. FINANCIAL Ben Mayes presented the financial report for June. HMR collections were $73,001 in June, an increase of 27.87% over 1993 collections. Total year to date collections are $411,746, an increase of 22.00%. June expenditures were $ 79,421. Year to date expenditures $624,061. Motion by Hanna, second by McBride to approve the financial report. Motion carried. ACTIVITY REPORT Marilyn Johnson reviewed June activities of Convention Visitor Development. 800 number calls received in June totaled 614 calls. Year-to-date calls are up 25% over 1993. Inquiry responses for June were 1982. Year to date inquiries received total 20,785. Convention activity has centered around future planning for bus tours and bidding future conventions. Much assistance has been provided the American Legion baseball tournament scheduled for August. The relocation guide has been printed and distributed. Media contact has been made with Canadian Business News (August), the Statesman, Mike Echols book on CPT Program at Drake Field, Corporate Meetings and Incentives, rating in New Choices magazine, and a tourism video with the U of A Journalism department. • Moved by Davidson, second by McBride to approve the Convention Visitor Report. Motion carried. AGENCY REPORT 11, Susan Stirewalt reported that the agency is finishing the creative for fall. She will have a quote for the image piece at the next A & P meeting. They have a photographer coming to update the photo files on Wednesday and Thursday. Motion by McBride to approve the agency report, second by Davidson. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: HIGH SCHOOL INVITATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT The basketball tournament will be held in December 1995 and will be a part of the Lights of the Ozarks festival. They have secured permission to use Walton arena and are proceeding with details and outlining an advertising budget. LAKE FAYETTEVILLE PROJECT They have secure some outside financial support and assistance from the Board of Realtors. They did not get funded in the 1994 grant from the Game and Fish Commission. But are still on the waiting list. The Commission members requested that Bill Ackerman be put on the next agenda to tell them where the project stands and where they are going. NEW BUSINESS LEAGUE OF WOMEN BROCHURES Brenda Teale said this brochure on Washington County needs updating from the 1989 printing. They estimate the printing last time to have been $3,000. It was the concensus of Ms. Teale and the Commission not to act on this until they both have more detail. RAZORBACK ENTRYWAY SIGNS Hanna moved to pay for seven Razorback signs $1505 ($210 each) at the entrances to the city celebrating the NCAA championships. Second by McBride. Motion carried. OTHER BUSINESS Bassett moved to allocate $600,000 from the excess HMR revenue account to use to construct a girls' softball complex and the first phase of a Babe Ruth complex. Second by Hanna. • Discussion followed. Bassett said he went to The Parks and Recreation Commission for a proposal to send to A & P to benefit all sports. Questions were raised of legality and the need to demonstrate that we can attract additional tourists to Fayetteville. A Study by the Arkansas Recreation and Parks Association indicates that 5 additional girls' softball tournaments can raise an additional $480,000. Bassett said that with the excess money on hand, it would be good and worthwhile to return money to kids, parents, and to those who have paid in the tax. Hanna said this Parks and Recreation Commission proposal would get as many needs met as possible. It is a good use of A & P money. Citizens voted this tax on themselves. The use of this money would assist organized sports and recreation and bring tourists to Fayetteville. Chuck Yarborough distributed a letter he mailed on June 24 and produced a copy of Sandbagger magazine which illustrated the number of men's tournaments available to come to Fayetteville. He presented a counterproposal to have all youth tournaments at the men's fields with temporary fences and a central location of all soccer fields. Have all girls play at Lake Fayetteville and them get a new men's field somewhere. Dale Clark said teams can register with NIT or ASA/USSSA. They haven't registered the girls teams. He took an engineer • to Lake Fayetteville and said moving of the field to eliminate the positioning problem could be done. The Yarborough plan leaves no promise of land for adult softball. They want to keep the little girls in neighborhoods for practice. Little girls haven't had a facility. The focus of the plan for Parks and Recreation was to do something for them. Fifty to sixty percent of the adults who play softball are from outside Fayetteville. • Susan Driver said that her committee had brought a proposal based on the total Parks and Recreation program and that she hoped that their proposal would be approved rather than individual proposals. She promised that A & P Funds would not be used in place of funds already designated by the city for capital improvements. Kaylor clarified that there were presently no girls center of play. The Parks proposal was to make 20 acres on Salem Road five fields for the girls' center of play. Lake Fayetteville is not large enough for men's tournaments. McBride said Parks and Recreation was a good place to spend money. If money goes to Parks and Recreation, the decision needs to be made by the Parks and Recreation Commission on a firm plan decided by them. She indicated that she would have a problem voting today on the issue since it wasn't publicized and it was not on the agenda. Fennel said it was premature to give money to anyone. It is • not healthy to tend to others' business. Capital improvements solve a lot of problems. But no problems are going to be solved unless citizens band together to do something for themselves. There are a lot of dollars to be made with C.C.E. and with an exhibit hall. The loss of the airport will cost us money. We are in a Catch 22 - adult leagues bring money to town but why not do something for our kids. Bassett indicated that he was not going to ask for a vote today; some were not prepared to vote, some thought it premature to make a decision. Unless there is a different proposal brought forth, he would ask for a vote at the next meeting. Johnson was asked to see when everyone can meet. Davidson said the money we have to spent is an investment dollar. 5% return on that is what he uses in his business. This is a 36% investment. The airport is great for Northwest Arkansas. People from hospitality industry in Fayetteville are going to take a big hit. We're going to need to reinvest to begin growth. Bassett moved to table the motion until second Davidson. Motion carried. McBride moved to adjourn, second Hanna. Respectfully submitted, y Marilyn Johnson Director Convention and Visitor Development the next meeting, Motion carried. •