Hope Tourism Commission

The Hope Tourism Commission met in the City Hall Boardroom on Tuesday (2-11). The minutes were approved as were the revenue and expenses. The permits and payments were discussed with City Manager JR Wilson offering a couple of solutions to help out the Commision. One was sending out the certified letters for delinquent accounts 30 days earlier. Another was changing how the notification is served.

Christy Burns asked for and received funds for the Watermelon Festival in the usual amount of $30,000.

Placee.ai data collection was discussed. Information was shared from other cities experience with it. Some cities haven’t yet responded to requests for data.

The commission discuss a Whatley Sign quote for electronic advertising on Hervey close to the underpass. The quotes ranged from $20,116.10 to $53,978.40 depending upon the size and whether they were single or double sided. This item was tabled.

There was a lot of discussion on the dirt for the ball fields with the final decision to approve the purchase of ten loads. The mixture approved should make it possible to play after it has rained with the mixture mostly sand, very lightweight, and easy to maintain. The idea was also discussed about having a couple of loads of extra dirt available to top up the fields and help them last longer. The new dirt came after discussions about using turf instead.  One reason the commission decided against turf is because it is hotter. With the tournaments coming up it is viewed as important to get the fields in shape. Kelly field will need 2 loads of dirt. Which company should run the tournament was discussed with the numbers still being run for both USA and Utrip. A desire was expressed to move on from USA.

Photo ops were discussed with the comment the one with the melon looked good. No action was taken.

Christmas decorations were also discussed as every year some additional ones are purchased. There will be a 40% discount at the end of February on prices. The commission discussed some complaints received.  The wreaths the city now uses are 20 years old. The prices for 65 wreaths with bows is $25,000 and $22,000 without.

The commission was given information about the depot museum and the recommendations for the plan going forward.

Hope’s 150th anniversary will be on April 12th with events from 10am until 1pm with a parade set at 2pm. It will be a family friendly event with live music and Janga and Checkers. An attempt will be made to get a fish fry instead of food trucks in order to make it more local.

A new committee was formed and met in order to better promote Hope. This committee was formed from the Hope Downtown Network, the Economic Development Office, and the Chamber of Commerce. Hope acquiring memorabilia to sell was discussed. Watermelon post cards and Bill Clinton buttons sold well previously. A Hope passport booklet is being worked on.

Shade for the Watermelon Festival was suggested.  It was pointed out any portable units for shade could also be used for Train Day.

April 9th will be a Cemetery workday. With the cleanups planned there and elsewhere, the city is expected to be in good shape for the events coming up during the warmer months.

The meeting adjourned.