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Visitor‑center nonprofit asks county for support, says $50,000 a year would sustain operations
Summary
Leaders of the Collier Interpretive and Information Center (C2C) told supervisors the Interstate‑5 rest‑area visitor center draws thousands of travelers but operates largely on donations and advertising; the group said about $50,000 a year would allow a stable part‑time staff presence and improve outreach.
Representatives from the Collier Interpretive and Information Center (C2C) told the board Jan. 24 that the highway visitor center serves as an important county gateway but is financially strained and needs a reliable funding base.
"If we had $50,000 a year that we could count on, that would keep a staff person there," Renny Cleo, the center’s president, told the board during a slideshow presentation describing visitation, volunteer staffing and advertising revenue. Cleo said the facility relies heavily on volunteers and paid advertising, and that advertising revenue has declined with the growth of social media.
Cleo described the site’s promotional role for the county—linking travelers to lodging, dining and recreation across the nine communities in Siskiyou County—and noted that while a historically high year might see tens of thousands of visits, limited hours last year produced 6,063 logged visitors. The center has pursued several grant and partnership opportunities, including a Nature Trail project supported by the North Coast Resource Partnership, but an earlier $1.25 million operational grant application was not approved.
Board members asked about past plans for a salmon‑view overlook and about partnership steps to pursue grant funding. Cleo said a salmon‑overlook concept remains possible and that a collaborative funding effort could be pursued. The nonprofit requested county help identifying sustainable funding or partnership opportunities to maintain a staffed presence at the interstate gateway.
