Hope Tourism Commission

The Hope Tourism Commission met in City Hall Boardroom on Tuesday (1-9). After the meeting was called to order the December minutes, revenue and expenses were reviewed and approved.

There was an update on the permits and payments. Three businesses were behind by two months: El Rinconcito, Tamales Rosy and Two Crumbs. Four businesses are behind by one month. Permits and payments are looking much better.

The new billboard on the highway was the next item. The coloring was liked but some small changes were suggested such as making the visit and .com more visible and adding the exit numbers. The billboard is near the Mandeville exit on I 30. The goal is to get people to visit the website.

The Commission considered Charlton Luker’s expired term. There was a motion made, seconded and passed for Mr. Luker to stay on.

After some discussion the date for the Sparks Fly in July this coming summer was decided to be the following Saturday as food trucks would be the easiest to obtain then.

The Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Jonesboro on February 25th-27th was mentioned in case a commissioner wanted to attend.

An ad in the relocation guide by SWARK was the next topic. The decision was made to approve the amount of $1235. A motion was made, seconded and passed. This would purchase either an inside front or rear page ad.

There will be a planning meeting for the eclipse on January 10th at 1:30 in the Fair Park Community Center. The eclipse event will take place at the airport as the space has already been approved.

The ice rink is closed for the year. There were 432 skaters and $2,160 was brought in. The rental for private parties such as church groups was asked about and agreed upon. The rental mentioned was $50 an hour. T shirts will be made for the eclipse.

The meeting then adjourned