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Roseburg EDC approves majority of spring tourism grants, asks several applicants for more data
Summary
At a Jan. 23 meeting, the Roseburg Economic Development Commission reviewed 17 tourism grant applications funded from transient lodging tax revenue under the cited state statute and approved multiple awards. Some applications were denied, and several applicants were asked to return with additional documentation or scaled budgets.
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. The commission also declined funding requests that staff said were aimed at promoting individual businesses rather than broader tourism activities (for example a private vacation rental operator and a start-up tour operator). Several other applications were deferred or required to return with additional information.
Commissioners gave direction to staff in multiple cases to work with applicants to refine budgets, gather tracking data, and consider smaller or staged awards. For example, UVWA was told it could return in the next round if it supplied additional market-research documentation; Urban Blends was asked to work with staff and return with more details on the Southern Oregon Music & Arts Festival application.
Votes at a glance
- Thrive Umqua — Request: $3,500; Decision: Approved (award $3,500) — motion: approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved. - Umqua Valley Wine Growers Association (wine trail brochure) — Request: $7,499; Decision: Approved (award $7,499) — motion: approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved. - Umqua Valley Wine Growers Association (digital marketing) — Request: $7,409; Decision: Partially approved / amount to be determined after staff/applicant follow-up — motion: authorize a lesser amount to be determined by staff discussions; outcome: approved (amount TBD); note: staff and applicant to agree on scope and amount before funds are released. - Growing Miracles Lavender Garden — Request: $6,500; Decision: Approved (award $6,500) — motion: approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved. - Experience Umqua (lavender and wine trail tours) — Request: $47,500 (listed); Decision: Not approved — motion: accept staff recommendation to deny; outcome: denied. - R&R Promotions, LLC (Diamond Lake Snow Bike Race) — Request: not approved due to timeline/application preparedness; Decision: Not approved — motion: accept staff recommendation; outcome: denied. - Urban Blends / Babaloo's Billiards (Block Party) — Request: $2,000; Decision: Approved (award $2,000) — motion: approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved. - Urban Blends (Southern Oregon Music & Arts Festival) — Request: $2,500; Decision: Deferred/review (applicant to work with staff, return with more details) — motion: refer to staff for additional detail and revisit; outcome: tabled for follow-up. - NeighborWorks Umpqua (Blocktoberfest) — Request: $7,499; Decision: Approved (award $7,499) — motion: approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved. - Douglas County Fairgrounds (website rebuild) — Request: $7,500; Decision: Approved (award $7,500) — motion: approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved. - Douglas County Museum Foundation (railroad depot roof revitalization) — Request: $7,499; Decision: Approved with conditions (proof of remaining funds and building permits required before release) — motion: approve with conditions; outcome: approved with conditions. - Douglas County Museum Foundation (rail car exhibit marketing) — Request: $5,000; Decision: Not approved (project not complete at time of application) — motion: accept staff recommendation to deny pending completion; outcome: denied. - Umqua Valley Quilters Guild (annual quilt show) — Request: $5,350; Decision: Approved (award $5,350) — motion: approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved. - Umqua Gem & Mineral Club (Rock & Gem show) — Request: $5,000; Decision: Approved (award $5,000) — motion: approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved. - Roseburg Optimist Club Foundation (Haunted Roseburg guided tour) — Request: $7,499; Decision: Not approved (insufficient documentation and questions about eligible uses) — motion: accept staff recommendation; outcome: denied. - Birdhouse vacation rental / wine & outdoor initiative (private vacation rental promoter) — Request: $7,500; Decision: Not approved (overlap with other regional efforts and individual business promotion) — motion: accept staff recommendation; outcome: denied. - Umqua Valley Farmers Market — Request: $7,000; Decision: Partially approved (award $2,000 for advertising/marketing only) — motion: approve staff recommendation to award $2,000 for promotion; outcome: approved for advertising only.
What the commission directed next
Commissioners asked staff to work with several applicants to tighten budgets, produce clearer tracking metrics for return-on-investment, and to resubmit in a later round where appropriate. For the UVWA digital request the commission authorized staff and the applicant to agree on a smaller, scalable award and to return to the commission with final figures as needed. Urban Blends was asked to work with staff to provide details on dates, site, and how funds would be used before the commission revisits their festival request.
Staff and applicants referenced Oregon Revised Statute 320.35 as the governing statute for allowable spending of transient lodging tax funds. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized that the grants are intended for tourism promotion (advertising, marketing, distribution of information) rather than direct operational subsidies for individual businesses or payments such as wages or general operating expenses.
The commission held recorded votes or voice approvals on each application; most motions passed on voice votes with no roll-call tally recorded in the meeting transcript.
