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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-03-15 Economic Development Commission Summary -~ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MINUTES ~ MARCH 15, 1990 7'30 P.M, Homer Electric Association Conference Room Barry Thomson, Chairman 1. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:30pm by Chairman, Barry Thomson. Commissioners present were: Elson, Scott, Thomson, and Wallingford. Excused- O'Reilly and Penny. Guest: Ms. Scott from the Soldotna Chamnber of Commerce 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 22, 1990 MEETING: The minutes were approved by unanimous Consent. 3. C_OMMISSION OPEN DISCUSSION: Commissioner Elson gave 'an update on the changes happening at the' E.D.D. Commissioner Wallingford reported that her business is up a little, but she couldn't speak for the local travel industry as a whole. Commissioner Scott commented that this is normally a bad time of the year for the fishing industry. He Mlso commented that the price of fish from Japan is dropping and this will affect the industry in this area.~ Commissioner Thomson asked for volunteers to attend an upcoming Economic Development Conference. None of the Commissioners present were able to attend the Conference. 4. OLD BUSINESS- Work Session Review -- Coughenhower Report: The work session was attended by Commissioners O'Reilly, Thomson and Elson. Mr. Coughenhower presented the finished "Central Peninsula Commercial Fishing Study'[ and responded to questions from the public and others that were present at the work session. The finished report will be helpful to the City in it's long- range planning goals, the commercial fishing industry as a whole, and certainly to state agencies and. private business owners in this area. Commissioners discussed the study, but no other action was taken at this time. 5. PROJECT REPORT PRESENTATION: Ms. Scott from the Soldotna Chamber of commerce spoke about Tourism Growth in the 1990's. Some of the highlights from her report: a. The visitation industry is a young industry to the Kenai Peninsula. b. Three different agencies/associations are involved in the tourism industry. They are- The Alaska Visitors Association, the State Division of Tourism, and the Alaska Tourism Marketing Council. Ms. Scott gave a brief background on each agency/association and how they Page Two ' · EDC Commission Minutes March 15, 1990 are funded and their general scope of activities. It is estimated that '750,000 tourists will visit Alaska in June, July and August of 1990.' c. Some of the events that are contributing to the increase in tourism would be the Iditarod, which now receives world-wide recognition, the eruption of Mt. Redoubt and even the oilspill in Valdez. d. Recommendations for the Industry. In response to questions from the Commission Ms. Scott, stated several concerns about the tourism industry: 1. The need for more data base. The last survey on the Peninsula was done in 1986 and another one should be taken soon. 2. The area needs to find and support more outdoor and recreational activities that would draw the tourist to this area. Ms. Scott stated that the Kenai Fiords are almost always booked all season long. More of this type of activity is needed. One suggestion would be a trail system for both bicycles and possibly cross country skiing. This might bring down the folks from Anchorage. 3. Possibly a rating system for the hotels and bed and breakfasts . . some type of visitors guide that could let tourist know what is available in the area. 4. Improve- ment of the infra-structure by the borough and/or the City. 5. Encourage and market tour companies to use this area. . both the large companies and the smaller ones. Encourage the small entrepreneur. 6. More R.V. parking and ~spruce up the parks we've got. Ms. Scott emphasized that although tourists come to the "great land" for the adventure, they still like and expect good service. 7. Another suggestion was to try to market the assets that the city has more effectively . . such as the Kenai Airport. A general discussion and question and answer period followed. Chairman Thomson thanked Ms. Scott for coming and for the thoroughness of her report. The "bottom line" seemed to be that the tourist/visitation industry will depend in the future on how well we market it; how well we advertise the assets that we have, and how well we plan and encourage the development of this industry on the Peninsula. F. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned on a motion by Commissioner Scott and seconded by Commissioner Elson. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Recording Secretary for the City of Kenai o.