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Grand County seeks $14,000 from tourism board for Mud Springs trail content capture ahead of Nov. 14 ribbon cutting
Summary
County staff proposed a November ribbon-cutting for the Mud Springs mountain-bike trail system and asked the Moab Tourism Advisory Board to sponsor professional content capture. The board approved $14,000 for content creation.
Grand County public relations and economic development staff asked the Moab Tourism Advisory Board on Sept. 9 to fund professional photo and video capture tied to the opening of the Mud Springs mountain‑bike trail system.
Melissa Jeffers, who identified herself as handling public relations and economic development for Grand County, described the project as “a large opportunity” and said the county would like to stage a ribbon cutting on Friday, Nov. 14 to thank state funders, celebrate volunteers and capture marketing footage. “We'd like to do a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, November 14, where we can invite those state officials to be able to thank them,” Jeffers said.
Jeffers told the board the county’s priority for the requested funds is content capture—professional photos and video the county and the tourism office could use to market the new trail during the off season. She said an initial budget of “12 to $14,000” for content creation would cover the work and asked the board whether there was appetite to fund that piece specifically.
Commissioner Brian Martinez and others discussed legality and county oversight before a motion was made to allocate funds for the capture. Sharon Kinsley moved to allocate $14,000; Alex Borchevskiy seconded. The board voted in favor; the motion was recorded as unanimous. The board also noted it would perform a legal review after the meeting to confirm use of tourism tax funds was permissible for the planned content capture.
Why it matters: Mud Springs is a new trail system located near county boundaries that county staff and local partners view as a potential tourism draw during shoulder and off seasons. Jeffers said the trail will close for part of the winter to protect elk migration routes and that the Nov. 14 soft opening provides a narrow window for on‑trail footage before the season closes.
The board asked for a short written request laying out how the money would be used and which deliverables (photos, video rights, file formats, distribution plan) would be produced; Jeffers agreed to provide that. The county said the footage would be added to the office of tourism’s media library for marketing and permitting use by partners.
Board action: The Moab Tourism Advisory Board approved an allocation of $14,000 for content capture tied to the Mud Springs ribbon cutting and directed staff to complete a legal review and return any required documentation. The allocation was intended to support marketing activities that “bring people into town,” consistent with the board’s tourism promotion mission.
Looking ahead: Jeffers said the county hopes to follow the Nov. 14 soft opening with a larger “grand opening” weekend in early March to create off‑season visitation spikes. She also requested the office of tourism and the board’s partners help identify content creators and volunteers to support the event and capture work.
