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TDA shops options for visitor center
Erin C. Perkins
Staff Reporter
Options for what could be the permanent location for the Mount Airy Visitor Center dominated the discussion at the Tourism Development Authority meeting Wednesday.
Board members shuffled through various options including moving into the bottom floor of the Main-Oak Emporium and also considered making renovations to the current location inside the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce office on Main Street.
Plans to build a new visitor center collapsed in October when Mount Airy officials voted unanimously to reject all bids for the proposed building because construction bids greatly exceeded projected estimates. City commissioners expected the bid to cost between $350,000 to $400,000, but actual bids reached about $700,000.
The project would have provided TDA offices and an exhibit hall for the Andy Griffith Collection, which the Surry Arts Council is now seeking state, county and other funding to house in a new facility.
TDA members agreed yesterday to explore the option of making renovations to their current location to make it more suitable to their needs.
Rich Kunkel, chair of the TDA , said the organization already had a good arrangement sharing the lease with the chamber. Both parties currently split the rent of $1,300 -each paying $650 per month.
Kunkel said the other benefits to staying in the building included its location on Main Street alongside other popular Mount Airy attractions, which would be more accessible and convenient for tourists.
“We need a defined visitors center and chamber, ” said Kunkel, who presented the board with two floor plans illustrating the renovations provided by Rick Vaughn, the owner of the building and principal with Granite Development, who would complete the renovations. He also said that the floor plans would allow them to make the center more handicap accessible with adequate restrooms. He added that there was no discussion on lease plans, but noted that the estimated renovations could cost between $80,000 and $100,000.
The challenges of renovating could mean a possible increase in the lease and a floor plan that makes the building less marketable to other businesses, if it is eventually sold, Kunkel said.
Kunkel said the upside to moving into the lower floor of the emporium is an increase parking space and an area for buses to pull in and out. But he added that the location would not be facing Main Street, which could cause tourists to detour or be redirected. The lower floor of the emporium faces Renfro Street.
Other board members also suggested looking into other existing locations which were earlier considerations like the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and even an existing house that possibly had three acres that could be used for parking.
Weighing a handful of options, Kunkel asked the board to be open-minded about locations and encouraged them to “ramp it up” to determine a permanent location.
During the meeting, the board also discussed the updates of the Tourism Partnership of Surry County, which is a joint tourism and marketing campaign to promote travel, expand tourism and provide tourism-related expenditures. The partnership includes Dobson, Elkin, Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain.
Jessica Icenhour, director of tourism with the chamber and also vice chair of the partnership, said that the organization's current goal is to brand the region to drive tourists to the area.
The board, along with the other TDAs in the partnership, plan to pay a third of its revenues from occupancy taxes, which is 6 percent, quarterly to the partnership for its funds. It also adopted a resolution to authorize money advances to the partnership.
Kunkel announced that Jan Critz, who was nominated as the secretary of the TDA Feb. 15, resigned earlier this week. He said that the board had not decided who would replace her yet.
The board approved the budget ordinance for the fiscal year 2008-09, which starts July 1. The ordinance included a general fund estimate of $346,500.
Members also agreed to use the services of Dixon Hughes PLLC to perform the audit of the financial statements for the fiscal year 2007-08, which ends June 30.
The next meeting for the TDA is scheduled Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. in city hall.
Contact Erin C. Perkins at eperkins@mtairynews.com, or at 719-1952.
Staff Reporter
Options for what could be the permanent location for the Mount Airy Visitor Center dominated the discussion at the Tourism Development Authority meeting Wednesday.
Board members shuffled through various options including moving into the bottom floor of the Main-Oak Emporium and also considered making renovations to the current location inside the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce office on Main Street.
Plans to build a new visitor center collapsed in October when Mount Airy officials voted unanimously to reject all bids for the proposed building because construction bids greatly exceeded projected estimates. City commissioners expected the bid to cost between $350,000 to $400,000, but actual bids reached about $700,000.
The project would have provided TDA offices and an exhibit hall for the Andy Griffith Collection, which the Surry Arts Council is now seeking state, county and other funding to house in a new facility.
TDA members agreed yesterday to explore the option of making renovations to their current location to make it more suitable to their needs.
Rich Kunkel, chair of the TDA , said the organization already had a good arrangement sharing the lease with the chamber. Both parties currently split the rent of $1,300 -each paying $650 per month.
Kunkel said the other benefits to staying in the building included its location on Main Street alongside other popular Mount Airy attractions, which would be more accessible and convenient for tourists.
“We need a defined visitors center and chamber, ” said Kunkel, who presented the board with two floor plans illustrating the renovations provided by Rick Vaughn, the owner of the building and principal with Granite Development, who would complete the renovations. He also said that the floor plans would allow them to make the center more handicap accessible with adequate restrooms. He added that there was no discussion on lease plans, but noted that the estimated renovations could cost between $80,000 and $100,000.
The challenges of renovating could mean a possible increase in the lease and a floor plan that makes the building less marketable to other businesses, if it is eventually sold, Kunkel said.
Kunkel said the upside to moving into the lower floor of the emporium is an increase parking space and an area for buses to pull in and out. But he added that the location would not be facing Main Street, which could cause tourists to detour or be redirected. The lower floor of the emporium faces Renfro Street.
Other board members also suggested looking into other existing locations which were earlier considerations like the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and even an existing house that possibly had three acres that could be used for parking.
Weighing a handful of options, Kunkel asked the board to be open-minded about locations and encouraged them to “ramp it up” to determine a permanent location.
During the meeting, the board also discussed the updates of the Tourism Partnership of Surry County, which is a joint tourism and marketing campaign to promote travel, expand tourism and provide tourism-related expenditures. The partnership includes Dobson, Elkin, Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain.
Jessica Icenhour, director of tourism with the chamber and also vice chair of the partnership, said that the organization's current goal is to brand the region to drive tourists to the area.
The board, along with the other TDAs in the partnership, plan to pay a third of its revenues from occupancy taxes, which is 6 percent, quarterly to the partnership for its funds. It also adopted a resolution to authorize money advances to the partnership.
Kunkel announced that Jan Critz, who was nominated as the secretary of the TDA Feb. 15, resigned earlier this week. He said that the board had not decided who would replace her yet.
The board approved the budget ordinance for the fiscal year 2008-09, which starts July 1. The ordinance included a general fund estimate of $346,500.
Members also agreed to use the services of Dixon Hughes PLLC to perform the audit of the financial statements for the fiscal year 2007-08, which ends June 30.
The next meeting for the TDA is scheduled Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. in city hall.
Contact Erin C. Perkins at eperkins@mtairynews.com, or at 719-1952.
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