By Noelle Edwards
nedwards@salisburypost.com
Recent discussions at city and county board meetings provided fodder for the Rowan County Tourism Development Authority board meeting Wednesday.
The authority’s board of directors discussed the Christmas light display, which was canceled at Tuesday’s meeting of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners.
They discussed a study of the feasibility of an event space connected with the Empire Hotel project. Salisbury City Council members heard a presentation on the study at their Sept. 1 meeting, and authority board members heard a similar report Wednesday.
Finally, the Tourism Development board discussed a recent City Council decision to create a city Tourism Development Authority with the ability to institute its own occupancy tax.
Michelle Patterson, board chairwoman, moved the light display issue from late in the meeting to the front of the agenda, based on Tuesday’s commissioner meeting where event promoter Mike Miller announced Midwest Display was retracting its offer to come to Rowan County.
At the authority board meeting, Patterson read a statement lamenting the loss of the seasonal event and the loss of a potential new business and jobs for Rowan County. Miller had said at the commissioners’ meeting that Midwest is looking for a spot on the East Coast to relocate its warehouse and might have considered Salisbury.
Gary Page, Rowan County manager, said he and a few commissioners, county attorney Jay Dees and Miller met Friday morning to work through some points in the Midwest Display contract, and he thought the commissioners would approve the event by a small margin. Before the board could vote, Midwest pulled out.
“Maybe it can be something that can come back up next year,” Page said.
Board members also discussed the issue of a meeting space connected with the Empire Hotel.
Downtown Salisbury Inc. is paying Conventions Sports and Leisure, a consulting firm, to study the feasibility of adding a meeting space in Salisbury.
“This is essentially a gift from DSI (Downtown Salisbury Inc.) to the community,” Brian Miller of the Empire Hotel Task Force said.
Bill Krueger, a director with Convenience Sports and Leisure, said he would not hesitate to report that the Salisbury area can’t support a new meeting site if that’s what the study shows.
He said this phase of the research is just about him getting familiar with the community and getting the word out that an event space is under consideration.
The Tourism Development Authority board also discussed the newly created Salisbury Tourism Development Authority and an occupancy tax that will probably be coming.
Mark Lewis, a city councilman and member of the Rowan County Tourism Development board, said at least one member of each authority’s board would be the same, based on how City Council set up the Salisbury board’s makeup.
Depending on who the other members of each board are, several could overlap.
Bill Burgin, also a city councilman, said the two boards must work together.
“If they don’t, they won’t be successful,” he said. “We have to be pulling in the same direction. The efficiency is the only debate.”
He said having people who serve on both boards ó one reason City Council decided the Salisbury board will include nine, rather than five, members ó will help prevent doubling up of effort. He said the extra board will be good for the city and county.
“It will indeed bring us added tourism revenue, jobs and added excitement to this community,” Burgin said.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the Tourism Development board also approved goals for the year and approved two grant requests, for the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra and for the Public Art Committee’s History and Art Trail.