Roseburg EDC approves majority of spring tourism grants, asks several applicants for more data

The Roseburg Economic Development Commission reviewed 17 tourism grant applications on Jan. 23 and approved most staff-recommended awards, while rejecting or deferring several proposals that staff said lacked sufficient documentation or fell outside allowed uses for transient lodging tax funds.

Stuart (city staff) told commissioners the grants are funded from the city’s transient lodging tax and that the staff memo referenced Oregon Revised Statute 320.35 to define eligible uses: “tourism promotion, which is advertising, publicizing, or distributing information for the purpose of attracting and welcoming tourists,” he said. Staff presented a recommendation and a brief synopsis for each application; commissioners asked questions of applicants when they were present.

Key approvals included $3,500 to Thrive Umqua for a 2025 Umqua Grown Guide; $7,499 to the Umqua Valley Wine Growers Association to produce 20,000 wine trail brochures; $6,500 to Growing Miracles Lavender Garden for its eighth annual Lavender Festival; $7,499 to NeighborWorks Umpqua for Blocktoberfest; $7,500 to Douglas County Fairgrounds for a website rebuild; a conditional $7,499 award to the Douglas County Museum Foundation for cedar-shingle roof repairs (release of funds contingent on proof of remaining funds and required permits); and smaller awards to events such as Urban Blend’s Babaloo’s Billiards Block Party and the Umqua Valley Quilters Guild show.

Not all requests were approved. Staff recommended and the commission declined to fund a digital marketing campaign from the Umqua Valley Wine Growers Association at the full requested amount; commissioners later voted to authorize a lesser amount to be determined after additional conversations between staff and the applicant.…