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Tourism Official: 'County Needs to Focus on Tourism Efforts'

Lisa Watson McCarty
Publisher

Supervisors agreed in principle to consider hiring a part-time tourism director but headed in the opposite direction by denying funds to a Southwest Virginia marketing and heritage alliance.

Kitty Barker, Tourism Development Specialist for the Virginia Tourism Corporation's Bristol office, applauded Scott County's efforts to entice new visitors to the county and suggested a tourism director could guide the effort.

During last week's regular monthly meeting of the Scott County Board of Supervisors, the board decided to re-consider hiring a tourism director after the county tourism committee works through a strategic planning process.

Preliminary figures estimated by county officials put the cost at a little more than $61,000 for a part-time person to lead the office.

Barker said Scott County's many attributes deserve an employee who can devote their time and energy to increasing tourist visits. Her only requirement for a tourism director was someone who is passionate about the county and a burning desire to work hard.

She added that volunteers have already worked hard to promote local events and is very impressed with what the county has to offer.

"I think it is time your county focus on tourism," Barker said. "Let's build it and get things going to bring some revenue in for your coffers."

Tourism is a 365-day a year job, she added, because hopefully tourists never stop visiting you.

"You have something here, this music, this heritage, this culture, outdoor recreation that is singular to Scott County," Barker said. "When you talk to a tourist, they are looking for the culture experience, and you are giving them that experience at the Carter Family Fold that they can't get anywhere else. You have a culture here in Scott County that is not anything like Kingsport. That is why people come to Natural Tunnel State Park and why they follow the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail.

"We've found more and more people are trying to escape the cities and are wanting to bring their kids and go out to the woods and hear the music of our Appalachian heritage. That is our hook, and Kingsport doesn't have that."

Barker also explained the lack of hotels/motels and restaurants were hampering the county's tourism efforts.

"We want to work in the next couple years on increasing your accommodations. We want to capture the dollars when tourists come here," she said. "Your weakest areas right now are your hotels. There is one in Duffield that you need to work on, and you need one in the Gate City and Weber City area. You also need signage. Someone needs to put signs out that will bring people from Kingsport up into your county."

She suggested development efforts could start small and grow to suit the county's needs. Barker said Grayson County recently hired a part-time director while Smyth County and all of the towns within it have banded together to hire a fulltime tourism person.

Washington County, Carroll County, Pulaski County and Giles County as well as Galax have seen the benefits of having a tourism director on board.

"Volunteers have done a lot getting where you need to go. Doing marketing throughout the year, taking care of the events it does usually take a full-time person," she said.

Nearly every day travelers stop at regional welcome centers to find lodges, cabins and campgrounds in our area. Barker explained there was a huge demand for nice campgrounds especially for recreational vehicles.

Grayson County residents believe in tourism as the county has nearly 60 rental cabins available for overnight stays. Most of those are little cabins in the woods, Barker said, and most have access to hiking, biking and horse trails.

"We don't want our land bought up and destroyed," she commented. "We don't want to become Dollywood. What we look like now sells us to tourists. Our type of tourism is to preserve our heritage and keep it looking nice."

District 2 Supervisor Danny Parks remarked that board members ran four years ago on the platform of increasing tourism in the county and thus far had been just "spinning our wheels." If we are dedicated to this idea, then we need to do something about it, he suggested.

"We aren't doing anything to promote Scott County the way we're going," Parks commented. "Outside people don't know what we have to offer."

District 1 Supervisor Paul Fields, who has repeatedly supported hiring a part-time tourism director, again noted the county needed to capitalize on its assets.

"We need a director to move us up to the next level," Fields said. "This is the single most important thing we can do for this county."

Several members of the Scott County Tourism Committee attended the meeting and suggested the board wait until the committee held its strategy sessions in September.

Bob Etherton, a member of the tourism committee, agreed to report to the board at the October meeting after the strategic plan is completed.

Board Chairman Dr. David Redwine asked the board to re-consider a funding request from the Crooked Road. Late in budget sessions, the board voted to not give any money to the organization. Last year, they provided $1,000 to the initiative.

Established in 2003, the Crooked Road: Virginia's Musical Heritage Trail was created is to generate tourism and economic development in the Appalachian region of Southwestern Virginia by focusing on the region's unique musical heritage.

This year several supervisors explained the budget request came too late after they had already made monetary decisions. Redwine said Ron Flanary, executive director of the Lenowisco Planning District Commission, who serves on the Crooked Road Board of Directors, asked the board to look at the request once again.

The Crooked Road is comprised of eight venues along the trail including the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons. Natural Tunnel State Park is cited as an affiliate destination site along the road.

Earlier this year, Governor Tim Kaine unveiled a new website designed to generate more interest in the Crooked Road with a special appearance at the Carter Fold. Kaine appeared at other Crooked Road venues and joined the band on stage at the Fold for a performance on his harmonica.

District 2 Supervisor Joe Horton made a motion to give the organization $1,500 which was seconded by Redwine. Four supervisors voted against the proposal which fell on a 4-3 vote.

District 4 Supervisor Joe Herron, District 5 Supervisor Randall 'Buck' Kinkead, District 6 Supervisor Chad Hood and Fields voted against the proposal. Parks, Redwine and Horton voted for the motion.

Hood said the budget request was received too late and the organization shouldn't expect to get anything because it made its request late.

An initial motion by Fields to table the request until October died for a lack of a second.

The refusal to give money to a tourism-based group followed on the heels of board action that provided money to another group. The board voted unanimously to give $5,000 to Friends in Need, a Kingsport, Tenn.-based non-profit organization that provides free and reduced cost medical care to the needy.

The budget request from Friends in Need was also received late and was included in this month's board packet. A letter from the group requesting assistance was dated June 13, 2007.

Al Wargo, executive director of Friends in Need, thanked the board for past support which included $5,000 in 2005 and 2006 and stated they served nearly 1,000 Scott County residents.

Michael Kinkead and E. Dennis Horton were re-appointed to positions on the Disability Services Board. Supervisors agreed to re-advertise a vacancy on the Lonesome Pine Regional Library Board.

They also agreed to advertise for a vacancy on the Lenowisco Planning District Commission's board of directors, following the death of Virgil Sampson Jr.

The county's new litter control officer, Jake Dougherty, gave a brief update on his activities since coming on board. He is currently overseeing a dozen or so probationers in the Assign-a-Highway project and plans to broaden the program.

He is spending 90 percent on his time on litter control efforts and will begin educational efforts in county school this fall.

John Kilgore Jr. presented the Scott County Economic Development Authority's quarterly report.

District 2 Supervisor Horton was selected to represent the county on the Chief Local Elected Officials (CLEO) board as part of WIA-1.

The board is expected to interview candidates for the county administration position next week. They will meet again Thursday, July 19 for a public hearing at 4 p.m. on conveying a small parcel in the Duffield Industrial Park to OnePartner, an affiliate company of Holston Medical Group.

All county meetings are open to the public.

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