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Advisory committee discusses pilot manned visitor kiosk downtown for summer
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Summary
Committee members floated a plan to pilot a staffed visitor kiosk or trailer downtown during summer months to distribute guides and help direct visitors; members urged collaboration with the Welcome Center and Chamber to avoid confusion and asked staff to explore locations and costs.
During closing items the committee considered a proposal to use some tourism funds to pilot a manned visitor kiosk in the downtown core for the summer season. The idea would place a staffed trailer or temporary kiosk at a high-foot-traffic location (candidates mentioned included Franklin Street or the holiday-tree area) to distribute visitor guides, maps and directions and to steer families toward local, family-friendly businesses.
Members emphasized the kiosk should complement existing services at the Welcome Center and the Chamber. Committee members noted foot traffic patterns have changed and that many visitors now rely on phones for information, but a staffed downtown presence could provide direct, local guidance: "If somebody came up and said, 'We're looking for burgers,' let me point you in the exact direction so you can walk," one member said.
The proposal is at a conceptual stage: committee members asked staff to explore logistics, location, costs and potential partner roles (chamber, SDDA) and to return a collaborative plan if feasible. No formal commitment of funds was made; staff said the idea had been raised at a recent board meeting and that further discussion and cost estimates would be developed before any decision.
