By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The Grayson Tourism Commission began their regular December meeting with a report from tourism director Lana Axtell.
“I feel that Hometown Holidays was a huge success,” Axtell told the commission.
Axtell told the commission that the event went very well, even with the minor ‘hiccups’ that are always present in events of that size. She also told the commission that there will be a meeting to discuss the particulars of the event sometime after the first of the new year.
“We made around two thousand dollars on the Festival of Trees,” she told the commission, adding that the funds will be distributed accordingly.
Axtell also reported on the success of the new skating rink which the Tourism Commission is currently allowing local entities to use for fundraising.
“The group doing the fundraising made $555 on the first day,” Axtell reported.
She reminded the commission that currently they are not charging for use of the skating rink, but that she receives reports from the groups who use it so she can track how well the rink is doing and gauge community support. That support, she said, is very encouraging and due to community support she has extended the days that it is open for use. Any group interested in making use of the ice-skating rink should contact Axtell directly for scheduling.
The Commission also discussed the Blue Goose Project at length, with Commissioner Deana Miller providing the commission with up-to-date results from her research. The Commission had discussed the need to hold going forward with the project in November’s meeting until a reevaluation of the potential costs and construction and/or renovation goals could be reassessed. Miller said that she would prepare a strategy for the next meeting for the commission to consider and determine how best to proceed.
“We need to have a meeting with stakeholders,” Miller said. “And we need to decide if we are going to renovate or demolish.”
In other business, the commission entertained a motion to turn over their financials to a financial entity for management after suitable research into options was performed. Officer elections were also held during the December meeting. Daniel White was elected as Commission Chair, Mindy Click was elected as Secretary, Robin Wentz was elected as Vice Chair, and Deana Miller was elected as Treasurer.
The City of Grayson Tourism Commission is dedicated to promoting tourism for the city and to attracting visitors from around the state and the region. Meetings are open to the public and are regularly posted. Anyone interested in attending the meetings can contact the Grayson City Building during regular business hours.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
