Latimer County Tourism Trust Authority (LCTTA) Board Meeting

Minutes of February 13, 2015

The LCTTA Board met February 13, 2015 in the Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room. The meeting was called to order at 9:33am by Chairman Mooney. Roll call indicated members present were Maryellen Mooney, Chairwoman (CH); Vice Chairwoman (VC) Jodie White, Red Oak Rep; Wade Thomson, District 2 Rep,; Mae Mings, Secretary; Executive Director (Dir) Tamra Tilley and Clerk Lori Chrestman. Absent was Melissa Juarez, District 3 Rep, with a work related appointment.

3. Adoption of Agenda:

Ms. White made the motion to adopt the agenda and it was seconded by Ms. Mings.

The vote taken:

CH Mooney Yes VC White Yes Ms. Mings Yes Ms. Juarez Absent Mr. Thomson Yes

The motion passed

4. Approval of January 9, 2015 Minutes:

Mr. Thomson pointed out his name was misspelled. Ms. Mings moved to accept LCTTA January 9, 2015 Board Meeting Minutes with the correction made; CH Mooney seconded the motion.

The vote taken:

CH Mooney Yes VC White ABSTAIN Ms. Mings Yes Ms. Juarez Absent Mr. Thomson ABSTAIN

Two Board Members abstained from voting as they were not in attendance January 9, 2014.

The motion passed.

5. Financial Report:

A. CH Mooney asked if there is a way to verify that the motels are paying their lodging tax. Dir Tilley stated she would find the answer and verify if they are paying.

The Financial Report was adopted as presented.

6. Public Comment:

Mr. Thomson relayed the status of the Centennial Clock Repair Fund. He stated enough funds have been collected, the parts ordered, and the company’s technician in Ft Worth has been contacted to schedule the repair visit. Everyone is hoping it will be repaired soon.

7. Discussion and Possible Action Concerning Web Advertising:

Dir Tilley stated both the LCTTA and Main Street websites are down due to Hostmonster program problems. She is pursuing the reasons and hopes to find a remedy very soon.

8. Discussion and Possible Action Concerning Grant Applications:

A.  VC White stated that the Agenda showed the Round Up Club requesting advertising funds for the upcoming June 19-20 Rodeo. The Belle Starr Heritage Festival is being revived during the rodeo weekend. A discussion followed concerning the desire and method of combining advertising for both, rather than having duplicate advertising budgets. This would be prudent money management of LCTTA funds to maximize advertising effort of the combined events.

B.  Mr. Tony Johnson’s 4H BBQ fundraising efforts should also be maximized by scheduling at the most opportune time to catch most attendees.

C.  Ms. Debbie Rosebure, VP, presented a grant from the Wilburton Round Up Club for the Rodeo scheduled June 19 and 20. CH Mooney stated she would like to see the Rodeo and Belle Starr Heritage advertise together. She suggested Ms. Rosebure talk to Debbie Vega, Wilburton Parks & Rec Director who is writing grants to determine if grants could be written jointly for the two events. Deadline for grants submission is March 13. It was determined there would be enough time to fund request after learning of grants approval or disapproval.

Rep Thomson asked if this grant application she submitted was complete as the total stated is not accurate when adding up listed requests. Ms. Rosebure stated the Secretary copied last year’s grant request. They will verify amounts before the resubmission.

VC White suggested the Round Up Club check out the Kiamichi Technology Centers -Talihina Campus (KTC-TC), for their advertising. They have a program called EAST, run by Carrie Kirkes, 918-567-2264, where they produce large posters for $8; these posters are of professional quality.

Ms. Rosebure stated she will present both the combined advertising effort and the suggested EAST program from KTC-TC, to the Round Up Club Board for consideration. Once approved, she will discuss with Dir Tilley a combined grant for advertising to be presented at the March 13 LCTTA Board Meeting.

NO ACTION TAKEN

D.  Ms. Bobbie Ward presented a Grant Request for the What About Bob Chuck Wagon Races June 11 thru 14, the second weekend of June, for $5090. She listed the main events of a fish fry, karaoke, parade, barrel and chuck wagon races, team roping, concert and Cowboy Church for the four days. She stated they had reviewed the former races budgets and determined where to cut back on spending such as hiring a lesser known band/singer for the concert to bring in a balanced budget.

Attendance has grown each year from 36 to 60 to 109 teams last year. Lance Graves,

3-time World Champion Barrel Racer, has agreed to assist this year. He and his family

are from Hartshorne.

Mr. Thomson: Where do you get your posters from? Ms. Ward replied from Briggs Printing in McAlester. They are put up all over the area from Ft Smith to Hugo. There were 50 to 70 visitors from Hugo last year.

VC White: The best method for banners and posters is to not list a date so can be use several years.

Ms. Ward Left The Room

CH Mooney: I checked last year’s grant request and they are asking $1100 more than last year which appears to be the cost of the radio advertising for Hugo-Antlers. The listed items appear to be estimations, rather than quotes for the banners, signs and posters. The LCTTA Mission’s first priority is to fund projects which fill the “heads & beds”/motels, and the second is to assist new festivals. We have been funding this event for 3 years.

Mr. Thomson: Unless there is a policy statement to guide us, we can’t discriminate one over another. We have helped the Tractor Show at Robbers Cave State Park every year. (All Agreed)

VC White: This request is not specific enough as it does not list the number of posters, banners…

Dir Tilley: I understand your points; however, we should consider that bringing in the 3 Time World Champion is HUGE and will bring very many people into the town. This is still a growing event which has in the past and I am sure again this year will overflow the motels with visitors.

Ms. Mings: I will give her the names of a few local bands that are very good and have better prices.

Ms. Ward Returned To The Room

CH Mooney: We have a problem with the applications lack of detail. We need more description like 4 banners at $8 each, etc.

Ms. Ward: I will redo the application an bring back to the 13 March Board Meeting.

Dir Tilley: I will be glad to give you some guidance; we can set up a time together.

NO ACTION TAKEN

E.  Mr. Jimmy Elder and Mgr Aron Maib, and Mgr Trainee Justin Copeland presented a Grant Request for a Dutch Oven Cooking /Lodge Promo, 1 and 2 May 2015, for $850 ($400 Cooking Items; $150 T-Shirts; and $300 golf towels). Mr. Elder described the event stating it was modeled after a similar event in Arkansas. The attendees will stay overnight of 1 May and will take home a dutch oven; the LCTTA logo will be on towels and T-Shirts. The T-Shirts cost is being paid for by 3 (including LCTTA) sponsors so the cost listed is LCTTA’s share. The event will also give out coupons for stables. The overall budget is between $3200 and $3400. Mgr Maib stated everything is being purchased locally so dollars are going back into the community.

Mr. Thomson: How are you advertising? Mr. Elder stated Kelly Gibson from OK City Tourism of the State Parks does the promotion and marketing using several media sources such as Facebook, etc. The Lodge has been blocked out for that weekend and we expect all 20 rooms to be filled.

Mr. Maib: This event is a bit different than our other ones in that this one is overnight and we expect some of the participants to come early or stay later for longer visits.

The Three Robbers Cave State Park Representatives left the room.

CH Mooney initiated a discussion stating the grant request appears to meet all the

requirements. Comments were in agreement.

Mr. Thomson moved to approve the Grant Application from Robbers Cave State Park for $850 ($400 Cooking Items; $150 T-Shirts; and $300 golf towels), it was seconded by Ms. Mings.

The vote taken:

CH Mooney Yes VC White Yes Ms. Mings Yes Ms. Juarez Absent Mr. Thomson Yes

The motion passed.

Mr. Elder, Mr. Copeland, and Mr. Maib returned to the room and were told the Grant Application was approved. They each expressed sincere appreciation.

NOTES:

1.  Ms. Mings left for a doctor’s appointment.

2.  It was agreed that since the meeting was running so long, Dir Tilley’s 2 Grant Requests would be presented after Mr. Merle Cox presents his business, so he can then leave.

9. Old Business:

A.  “Ride Texas” Advertisement Invoice. Mr. Merle Cox stated he had initiated an advertisement quote with “Ride Texas” for the Fall Festival as it is worthwhile to advertise in it. The representative stated there was an outstanding invoice for $500 which has to be paid before any future ads can be placed. After gaining a copy of the invoice, he discussed the invoice’s confusing listing. The balance owed is $500. There was a charge of $500 for the Summer issue advertising and $500 for Fall issue ad; however, the invoice appears to state only $500 is due and that $500 was paid.

CH Mooney stated two POs have been issued, each for $450; one for summer and one for fall. Mr. Cox stated he had come into this position in the middle of the process due to Dr. Vieux’s illness, so trying to straighten it out.

There is no need to run an ad in both quarters (summer and fall), but that a quarter page advertisement in the Summer issue (July, August and September) is sufficient to inform visitors of Fall Festival.

A discussion followed in which Dir Tilley stated she had paid one PO so thought the bill was paid in full. The past Financial Statements were reviewed and it appeared both POS had been paid. Ms. Tilley stated she would get hard copies from the County Commissioners Office for Mr. Cox to forward to “Ride Texas” rep for clarification of payments.

Mr. Cox stated he would not pursue advertising with them until this matter is cleared up. There is time to clear this up and still pursue advertising for the Fall Festival. He will ensure future ads placed with “Ride Texas” have a clear audit trail.

B.  Chamber of Commerce Sign Project:

Mr. Cox stated they are getting closer to goal as there have been verbal positive responses for the funds from several organizations, but few have put it in writing. CH Mooney stated once school years are completed in May, the school boards are unavailable for making decisions to authorize funding, so it is time to get the organizations to commit. We need to cut the checks out of this year’s budget which ends 30 June.

Mr. Cox stated the quote was good for 30 days, so will get an updated one.

C.  Financial Audit:

Ms. Tilley requested CH Mooney suggest dates she is available for the audit. She will match her calendar and then give several dates to the Auditor for him to schedule the audit. She said he has not said when he would be in our area, so she will suggest a few.

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NOTE: Return to Agenda, #8D. Tamra Tilley

(1)  Green Frog Festival & 5K Puddle Jump Run, April 18, 2015, $2120 Advertising in Newspaper & Radio. Ms. Tilley stated this is same request as last years; prices have been verified as accurate.

(2)  Wilburton Cruise Nights, 30 May, 25 Jul, 17 Oct, $2,418 Radio Advertising, Postcards, Flyers, and T-Shirts. T-Shirts will be for 2015 events; have 2014 T-Shirts also left to sell. Actual T-Shirt cost varies with style and design detail. Dir Tilley stated postcards are distributed to area chambers and local businesses.

Dir Tilley Left The Room.

CH Mooney: We have a problem because both Mr. Thomson and I are on the Main Street Board so I am not sure we are able to vote on these 2 events. Also want to point out that that neither are for overnight events, so “beds” is not a part of the decision.

VC White: I think of the Cruise Nights as a local event so it does not need lots of advertising. We want to keep it a local event for the citizens to enjoy.

The Board discussed the need of CH Mooney and Mr. Thomson to vote. With Ms. Juarez not in attendance and Ms. Mings early departure, there is not a quorum to vote. Additionally, they are under a time constraint as waiting for March Board Meeting for approval would be too late for P.O. process and postcard production. It was determined to allow the vote of the two members.

(1)  VC White moved to approve request for $2120 for Green Frog Festival 5K Puddle Jump Run for radio and newspaper advertising; CH Mooney seconded the motion.

The vote taken:

CH Mooney Yes VC White Yes Ms. Mings Absent Ms. Juarez Absent Mr. Thomson Yes

The motion passed.

(2)  VC White moved to approve purchase of 2500 5x7” postcards for $143 for the Cruise Night events; Mr. Thomson seconded the motion. A discussion followed as to cost of producing 3c5” and 5x7” postcards for advertising

The vote taken:

CH Mooney Yes VC White Yes Ms. Mings Absent Ms. Juarez Absent Mr. Thomson Yes

The motion passed.

Dir Tilley returned to the room.

CH Mooney stated:

(1)  All items listed on the grant request for the Green Frog Festival & 5K Run were approved.

(2)  Since Cruise Night is a one-evening event with no “heads & beds” income, the Board determined to not spend a lot of advertising money; therefore, only 2500 postcards were approved for the Cruise Night. While the Board prefers the 5x7” postcards, if there is a great price difference for producing 3x5”, that would be a better financial decision to make.