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Visitor center reports small increases in overnight stays; CCAC updates park repairs and programs
Summary
The visitor center reported an increase in average overnight stays and distribution of a new visitor guide; CCAC representatives described spring programming, facility repairs after winter freeze and hiring for seasonal staff.
The county's visitor-center director told commissioners the county is seeing modest gains in visitation metrics and is rolling out a new visitor guide and marketing initiatives for 2026.
The director said average overnight stays are about 3.3 days and that social-media engagement and guide distribution are trending upward. "We're seeing an increase in our average overnight stays ' about 3.3 days," the director said, and invited commissioners to a visitor-guide launch open house.
Separately, CCAC representatives reported recent park activity: youth soccer leagues, a start to spring programming, repairs from winter freeze (including replacement of water-line piping and pump-house heaters) and plans for field and trail projects. They noted revenue improvements in indoor facility rentals since 2022 and said Coca-Cola sponsorships will provide multi-year rebates to support operations.
Commissioners accepted the treasurer's report, which staff said showed innkeeper-tax receipts ahead of the prior year and a remaining grants balance in the county account to support approved awards. The meeting closed after a discussion about updating grant procedures to allow alternative payment methods in specific cases, if county policies and bylaws are amended.
Next steps: staff will continue tourism marketing for 2026, monitor visitor metrics and present any proposed changes to grant procedures to the commission and county commissioners for review.
