Tourism Committee formed to explore full-time Director position

Although no official action was taken, the Fulton Tourism Commission, on Jan. 13, did form a committee comprised of board chair Derrick Jackson, board members Pat Frazier and Pat Gossum, to meet with Fulton City Manager Mike Gunn and Mark Welch, Fulton-Hickman Counties Economic Development Partnership President, regarding the creation of a full time Tourism Director position.

Tourism Commission board members present included Chair Jackson, Frazier, Gossum, Melanie Gunn, Terri Harvey, Connie Smith and Peggy Tribble. Tourism Commission Executive Director Thea Vowell was present, as was Welch.

Listed under new business, with a copy of a letter provided to board members from Gunn, Welch and Fulton Mayor David Prater on behalf of the Fulton City Commission, the agenda item was a recommendation to the Fulton Tourism Commission, to develop the full time position, as well as to prepare a comprehensive job description and conduct a formal recruitment/interview process.

Once hired, as the letter recommended, the director would facilitate a comprehensive tourism strategy development and program implementation, working closely with the city staff and EDP staff to “tell our story and promote the community.”

“Specifically we encourage the Tourism Commission to transition to a full time professional director who can facilitate the preparation and implementation of a comprehensive and ambitious tourism strategy. This professional individual can fill an important role as a community ambassador, program planner, cheerleader and liason with other government and community partners”, the letter states.

Welch, who was listed on the agenda for another item, elaborated on the letter presented.

Board member Pat Frazier first commented on the recommendation.

“On the average, Tourism Directors’ salary is $175,453. Thea makes $17,000. I was on the city commission when we established the tourism tax. We have done what was suggested to make tourism stronger. At one time, tourism when through the Chamber of Commerce, it did not go through the city, because there could be problems, like it would be too easy to take money....I know how hard Thea works and what she does. Endless hours. She makes $34,000 total, $17,000 from Tourism and $17,000 from the Chamber. I just can not see separating Tourism from the Chamber. I am very concerned,” Frazier said.

“This, would be taking the tourism functions and making it a full time position,” Welch said.

“What’s wrong with the way it is now?” asked Tribble.

“How could you expect her to hold two full time positions? We have outlined the numbers to make it work. We have lots of opportunities for tourism. I think they are significant and we need a full time director. It may end up being Thea. We need to develop programs to make people come here and stay here. You have got to get ahead of the curve,” Welch said.

“It could be that we might need to spend less money on entertainment and more on making Fulton look better. Maybe even change her responsibilities, not make her do all the events and other things,” Frazier said.

“This is what you need to think about. She could leave, or quit doing her job. You can’t find someone to do tourism or the chamber for that money. We would need to find a professional who would be able to be paid a livable wage for the work,” Welch said.

When asked, Welch estimated potential pay scale for the position at $50,000-$60,000, to be possibly designated as contract labor with no benefits.

Welch said Vowell was initially not included in the proposed position recommendation, so as not to give the appearance of potential manipulation into a higher paid position.

Vowell then voiced her concerns.

“I was Chamber Director and Tourism came to me and said ‘will you do this?’ They said we can’t find anyone. At that time, it meant the Banana Festival and a Christmas event. What Tourism is today is nothing like what it was when I started. If it has developed to need someone full time, I have done everything that has been done. I have worked hard to promote the city, even to the point of pulling weeds. I arranged 27 people to volunteer to take care of flower beds at the parks and the entrances to the city. I take pride in the community. I did that,” Vowell said.

“You do say something, a lot, about your pay. If this becomes a full time position I would assume that would mean there would be a raise,” board member Melanie Gunn said.

“Right now, we really have nothing to promote, so it’s no wonder we have no industry,” board member Terri Harvey said.

“I am a glass-full kind of guy. I see enormous opportunity here. Economic development is as much a part of what we need to do, as industrial development. I don’t just mean within the city limits, either. I mean more from a regional standpoint, from the lakes to the Mississippi, to DPA and beyond,” Welch said.

“I just have to ask, are we doing the right thing with tourism? Maybe we should not increase the number of events we do. We have an aging population,” Frazier said.

Vowell told the board that neighboring communities seemed to have more support from leaders, as to attendance at events held, and urged citizens to encourage attendance from officials.

Welch said he could reach out to the recently created and appointed Calloway County Tourism Director, regarding a job description, and Vowell said she could also reach out to associations for Tourism Directors, in which she retains membership, to obtain potential job descriptions for a full time tourism director.

Gossum, Jackson and Frazier agreed to serve on the sub-committee to meet with Welch and Gunn regarding the proposed fulltime position.

It was agreed by the board, that following discussion and clarification between the sub-committee, Welch and Gunn, the sub-committee would report back to the full board at the next tourism commission meeting.

Welch’s actual reason for his attendance at the meeting, a proposed two-day car show and cruise-in, was tabled, as he explained to board members following an evaluation of the event planning, with Top Gun Productions, it appeared the original date of mid-October would be too rushed.

Instead, Welch proposed 2023 as a more realistic time frame. He said the company has coordinated cruise-ins and shows which featured in excess of hundreds of cars and participants as well as thousands of spectators and could also include vendor set up at the industrial park, Enterprise Park of Fulton.

Welch said he did not want this proposed event to hinder the success of the Rotary’s Banana Festival Car Show in any way, and would propose separating the events adequately and time-wise, in 2023.

Another letter was presented to board members, from Kenney Etherton, Chairman of the Fulton Parks Board.

He updated the Tourism board regarding the Fulton Parks and South Fulton Parks and Recreation Boards’ partnership to provide events in the Twin Cities, and proposed his board’s assistance to Tourism, for the annual Christmas In The Parks event.

He asked the Tourism Board to evaluate how the Parks Board could participate and assist in growing the activities now associated with the event held the first Saturday in December.

The board agreed to request a representative of the Fulton Parks Board to attend the next Tourism Commission meeting to determine what each board could use from the other regarding year round events.

Vowell provided information to the board regarding banners to mark the city of Fulton’s sesquicentennial, 150 years, to be placed at strategic entrances into the city.

She proposed using brackets already in place from when other seasonal banners are hung throughout the year, with six banners on Lake Street, two on Hwy. 307, three on Hwy. 51, two on State Rt. 166, Middle Road, and two on State Line Road/Union City highway.

She displayed a dreft of a design for the banners, and explained revisions were still underway for the final draft of the design.