Council approves tourism grants and Route 66 commemorative sign for Boswell Park

The Lebanon City Council approved three separate grant agreements to support tourism promotion and Route 66 centennial activities.

Rebecca (staff member) presented the three grants: a $65,000 matching marketing grant from the Missouri Division of Tourism (50/50 match) for advertising including digital and streaming; a $5,000 marketing platform development grant (50/50 match) to update photos and video assets and emphasize Route 66 centennial materials; and a $25,000 reimbursable sponsorship from the Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission to install an interactive Route 66 shield sign planned for Boswell Park.

Rebecca said the $65,000 grant is the department’s largest and will fund digital, print and streaming advertising; she described the $5,000 award as intended to refresh photo/video assets and support centennial-themed materials. On the interactive shield sign she described a roughly 12-foot-tall by 11-foot-wide design and said the grant is fully reimbursable and non‑matching. Rebecca and councilors noted that other Missouri communities have installed similar signs and that signs attract visitors who stop to take photos.

Council approved each grant ordinance on first and second readings in sequence (Council Bills 68‑60, 68‑61, 68‑62 became Ordinances 7102–7104). Council discussion included confirmation that the Route 66 centennial involves regional partners and that the city’s sign would be specific to Lebanon; Rebecca noted participation on related committees and cited a Route 66 festival that had been awarded Centennial Commission support.