Denison CVB approves updated tourism grant application, tables Frontier Village request

The City of Denison Convention and Visitors Bureau approved updated tourism grant application forms and tabled a funding request from Grayson County Frontier Village and Museum at a meeting on July 14.

The board first approved the minutes from its June 2 advisory board meeting by voice vote. Later in the meeting the board considered a grant submission from Grayson County Frontier Village and Museum; staff recommended tabling the request because the museum had not yet produced a required post-project report. A board member moved to table, the motion carried, and the item will be considered again at the next meeting when the report is available.

Jordan, CVB staff, presented the updated grant application and post-project report template the CVB staff had drafted after attending a tourism training. Jordan said the revised packet asks for more detailed information on how a proposed project will “promote tourism, benefit tourism, so heads and beds,” and for a fuller accounting of expenses and projected and actual hotel occupancy impacts. Jordan said the intent is to improve accountability and to provide data the CVB can use when deciding future funding amounts: “I just really wanna know more on their plans for how is this actually going to, promote tourism, benefit tourism, so heads and beds, you know, just really making sure that anyone that we provide the grant to is going to be accountable and getting those numbers for who is staying in Denison in hotels or short term rentals.”

The revised materials separate applications by type — historic preservation, convention and group sales, and event funding — and add a more detailed post-project report that asks for actual expenses, revenue, and counts of overnight stays and attendees. Jordan noted the CVB historically has typically awarded $5,000 grants but that amount could be adjusted based on available hotel occupancy tax revenue and event-specific projected impacts.

A board member asked whether the new form would allow the CVB to reduce a previously requested award after comparing projected versus actual impact; Jordan said the updated materials are intended to inform future awards rather than retroactively reduce a completed award, noting the post-project report will guide decisions if an organization applies for future funding. With a motion and second, the board approved the updated applications and forms by voice vote.

The Frontier Village request was explicitly tabled until the CVB receives the outstanding post-project report; staff had recommended tabling to allow the museum time to produce that report. The meeting adjourned after routine partner and program reports.

Board members did not provide numeric roll-call tallies during the recorded record; outcomes were announced verbally as approved or tabled.