Members of the Cloud-based CQC Advisory Committee reviewed a draft lodging-tax grant proposal on Sept. 18 that would fund a part-time Quallum Bay/Sequim director of community sustainability and tourism and help pay for operations at the Sequim Community Center. The application is slated for submission in October, committee members said.

The proposal, drafted to be submitted through the West End Youth and Community Club, would pay a salary for a part-time director to coordinate community tourism activities, plan winter and shoulder-season events for 2027, and perform outreach among businesses, nonprofits and residents. "This proposal is presented through the West End Youth and Community Club ... to start up salary for a part time Quallum Bay CQ director of community sustainability and tourism and for operation and maintenance of the Sequium Community Center," a committee member read from the draft.

Committee members said the director would be housed initially in the community center and act as a point of contact for marketing, grant writing and event coordination. Members repeatedly emphasized that the grant’s stated focus is tourism because the lodging-tax funding stream is targeted to increasing visitor stays; they discussed keeping language that highlights tourism while noting the director could also support broader community sustainability work.

Speakers urged budgeting for an explicit marketing line in the job funding and recommended coordination with regional bodies. "If you have your own marketing budget, so you can do co-op ads with OPTC, that's a benefit to everybody," one member said, referring to the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission and regional cooperative advertising programs. Committee members said the Olympic Peninsula Visitors Bureau/regionally focused tourism organizations already maintain booking portals and co-op opportunities that the new director could use to place shoulder-season programming in larger regional campaigns.

Members also discussed operational details. The draft would pay the director’s salary, create a template of duties (including establishing a baseline inventory of community assets) and fund initial marketing and event planning for winter and shoulder-season programs. One member said the funding could start a part-time role as early as January depending on grant timing; another pledged to write a letter of support and to recruit other letters from community organizations.

Committee members stressed that, because the lodging-tax source prioritizes tourism, the application narrative must emphasize visitor-facing benefits even where applicants hope to use the position for broader community-building. Several speakers suggested the phrase "sustainable tourism" as a potential framing while keeping the application focused on increasing off-season heads in beds. The group did not take a formal vote on the proposal but agreed to continue drafting, coordinate with Shannon and Marsha at the regional tourism organization for guidance, and submit materials before the October deadline.

Background: the lodging tax grant discussed is a targeted tourism funding stream. Committee members noted local challenges — short off-season bookings after mid-October and contractions in the traditional fishing season — as reasons to invest in shoulder- and winter-season events and marketing. They also flagged the need to coordinate any tourism growth with local capacity (medical services, emergency response and housing), saying sustainable growth requires planning beyond event promotion.