Moab advisory board approves event grants, conditions Outerbike and reduces museum award to prioritize out-of-county marketing

The Moab Tourism Advisory Board on March 10 approved a slate of event grants drawn from its TRT/TRCCA funding pool and placed conditions on two applications after discussion about eligibility and whether requested budgets would reach out-of-county visitors.

The board approved funding recommendations from the grants subcommittee for Voyager Outdoors, Madness events, Running Up for Air, Folk Festival, Youth Garden Project, C10 Club, Dig Project, Wellness Collective and Vacation Races at the allocations proposed by the committee. A motion to approve that slate passed in the meeting with six recorded yes votes and two abstentions (one online), according to the meeting record.

Members then considered Outerbike (Western Spirit/Outerbike), which requested $10,000 in grant funds tied to a $20,000 total marketing budget. The board made a conditional approval: Outerbike’s $10,000 award is contingent on the applicant providing documentation that it will spend the matching $10,000 (so the total marketing outlay equals $20,000). The conditional motion passed with six yes votes.

A separate debate focused on a $65,000-plus request from the Moab Museum, which sought funds to promote a series of four exhibits connected to America250. Several members and subcommittee reviewers said the museum’s request appeared closer to ongoing operations or year-round marketing than a discrete event, and they recommended removing locally targeted advertising from the request so funds focus on bringing visitors from outside Grand County.

After discussion and an amendment to subtract locally targeted ad line items, the board approved a reduced award to the museum of $4,535, with direction that (1) the award be concentrated on out-of-county marketing and (2) staff or the commission conduct follow-up to verify receipts and that funded activities prioritize attracting visitors from outside Grand County.

Board members and staff repeatedly emphasized the intent of TRT/TRCCA funds: to attract visitors from outside the county and to support mitigation and visitor-impact needs. Staff pointed to the expenditure report submitted to the state as the definitive record of where mitigation funds flow (search-and-rescue, EMS, sheriff) and said a public portal is being developed to show allocations more clearly.

Next steps: Approved grants and conditional approvals will be forwarded to the county commission as recommendations. The board directed staff and subcommittee members to collect clarifying budget documentation from Outerbike and the museum before final commission review.