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Home My WebLink About1999-02-08 KCVB MinutesKenai Visitors Convention Bureau Regular Board Meeting Monday, February 8, 1999 President Will Jahrig, Presiding MINUTES A. The meeting was called to order at 5:40 p.m. B. Directors present: Will Jahrig; Rebecca Godek; Ron Malston; Jim Bookey; Fred Braun; Robert Fulton; Shirley Roberts; Ron Rainey; Jerilue Seekins- llopley; Sandra Vozar. Staff present: Kathy Tarr, Executive Director Guests present: Tom Wilkinson, West Side Development Task Force C. Approval of Agenda. MIS (Malston/Rainey) to approve the agenda. D. Approval of Minutes The minutes from the December 15, 1998 board meeting were not available. E. Correspondence. There was no correspondence to read. F. Board Action: "Resolution in Support of Creating More Public Access on the West Side Of Cook Inlet." Director Braun reported on the Kenai City Council's adoption of the resolution. The West Side is "virtually untapped" and one of the most scenic areas in the state. Braun said he would like to see the area opened up for more access and development occur gradually and with care. It's important for the Kenai Peninsula Borough to get control of some of the land over there (Kustatan Ridge), and for Kenai to become the "gateway" to the West Side. Mayor Williams made a very good presentation on the West Side to the Kenai City Council, said Braun. Thus far, there hasn't been any major opposition to the ideas presented in the resolution. President Jahrig and Braun commented on their personal experiences and observations on the West Side. Board Minutes February 8, 1999 Page 2 M/S (Rainey /Godek) to adopt the West Side Resolution. Motion passed without opposition. There was discussion about what to do next. The City of Kenai has distributed their copy of the resolution. KVCB will draft a cover letter and will also distribute the resolution to interested parties. EDD is to take this up on their agenda on February 25, 1999. More legislative attention will be paid once the different groups mail out their resolution. Director Rainey asked specifically what we need to do after that. President Jahrig said going to the borough would most likely be the next step. The KPB needs encouragement to continue the process. Mr. Wilkinson thanked everyone for their support. KVCB was the first organization which showed interest and took action. He reminded everyone that the West Side Development Task Force made five recommendations in the final report to the borough. The West Side is a "bright spot" which can actually add some revenues to the government. The 11 rivers on the West Side have different run dates. There are also possibilities for developing more winter tourism. Natron Air has offered to do some flightseeing familiarization trips later in the spring to the West Side. There was discussion about keeping KVCB's West Side Development Committee as an active committee. Mr. Wilkinson reported that the borough has made the selection of Kustatan Ridge a priority. There are a lot of small commercial operators who want to do more business in the area. The first thing that must happen is that access must be provided. Director Rainey said there would be more pressure for access, once the land is sold. The assessed value of the land is $500 /acre in the Kustatan Ridge area. Once access is established, the assessed value is much higher. Tarr reported on Tom Krueger's Hovercraft Adventures. Krueger recently attended the RV Supershow in Tampa and he helped promote the central peninsula. Marlowe's on the Kenai is targeting British birdwatchers, according to Wilkinson. Both of these businesses are interested in expanding more into the West Side to Board Minutes February 8, 1999 Page 3 to provide more of a "Denali Park" experience. Krueger is also targeting the German visitors. Tarr asked about the distribution of KVCB's West Side resolution. The suggestion was made to send it to key legislators. G. PERSONS SCHEDULED TO BE BEARD: None UNFINISHED BUSINESS Tarr gave her Executive Director's report: *The "Get to Know Kenai" program was outlined. There are a lot of new things going on in Kenai which are important to update residents about, particularly those who work in the tourism industry. "Get to Know Kenai" would also be a kick -off to National Tourism Week, May 2 -9. In 1998, 678 people who signed the Kenai Visitors Cultural Center's guest book said they knew about the Center because of their friends or relatives. Board members agreed that the "Get to Know Kenai" program was a good idea. Thursday, April 30 was suggested as the program's date. Director Malston said we need to tell locals what there is to do in Kenai. Tarr said a targeted list of businesses and employees would be invited to the special program. Director Bookey said a lot of people don't understand what's taking place in the tourism industry for example, they forget we have Cunningham Park. We need to get more education out, he said. Director Seekins- Hopley suggested ADF &G employees be invited. *Special Economic Section Peninsula Clarion Tourism will have a special section. KVCB will advertise for the first time. A series of three small ads are planned with the web site listing: "We're Hooked on Kenai" "We're Crazy for Kenai" "We're Energized by Kenai." The ads are targeted to residents. *Member Program. Plans are underway to do a membership seminar on tourism and the Internet. *Winter Tourism Conference Tarr gave a brief report on the statewide conference held at Alyeska. Tarr was part of the CVB panel and made a presentation on winter tourism in the central peninsula. Over 125 people attended. The in -state market is the biggest market for winter tourism, i.e., Alaskans traveling to Mat -Su or Valdez. Peak winter season is February- Board Minutes February 8, 1999 Page 4 March. November- Dec January is the "deep freeze" or "extreme winter." Mat -Su CVB did a good job by taking an inventory of all their winter services and activities. It's important that the Kenai Peninsula do the same thing, said Tarr. Winter events do not necessarily have to do with winter. For example, there could be a garden seminar in Kenai held during the winter. One of your best groups to market to in winter, are Alaska's summer visitors. Anchorage cross markets to Kenai and Mat -Su. At the winter tourism conference, the idea of connecting Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula by snow machine trails was mentioned. *Australian Quilt Show reception is February 11 Approximately 400 invitations were sent out. Dena'ina Heye is scheduled for Friday. *Storage KVCC's storage capacity was improved this winter. The City supplied shelving materials under the Center's "Small Tools Equipment" budget and Ricky Gease provided the labor to add new shelving in three different rooms. *Finances KVCB is not requesting any changes in the Bureau's management contract within the City of Kenai's FY2000 Budget. The "Report to the Communty" is due to the City April 15 Visitor inquiries in 1997 totaled 2,024. In 1998, the inquiries were up 41% to 3,438. The web site did not go on -line until November. The largest generator of inquiries is KVCB's ad in the Anchorage CVB visitor guide. The "hot links" program for Bureau members has not yet been developed on www.visitkenai.com The web site membership section is updated once each month. The 1998 year -end financial reports were discussed. Gaming revenues were below projections for 1998. Expenses were status quo with 1997. Gaming is budgeted lower for 1999. The Equipment Replacement Fund was established for future purchases of such items as a new photocopy machine (KVCB's machine is 10 years old), overhead projectors, etc., when new equipment is needed. *The Second Annual Central Peninsula Writer's Night is March 4 and is a benefit for the 50t" anniversary of the Kenai Library and the Cultural Center. Door prizes will be given. *(The new custom meeting folder with the embossed Kenai logo was shown to the board.) Board Minutes February 8, 1999 Page 5 *There was more discussion about KVCB's web site. Directors Vozar and Seekins- Hopley suggested an "auto-response" mechanism be set up on the web site so that all email inquirers automatically receive a message, "KVCB thanks you for your inquiry. Your information packet is on the way, etc., etc." *Tarr commented that the Kenai Peninsula Borough has not undertaken a regional tourism economic impact study since 1991. J. BOARD COMMENTS The Board of Fish meets on February 16 -28 in Soldotna. K. SCHEDULE OF NEXT BOARD MEETING The next board of directors meeting would be in April but no date was decided. 4: Kathy Tarr Executive Director ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Board members took a brief tour of the newly- improved storage areas. Respectfully submitted by,