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Chamber official reports lower spring foot traffic, pushes Mayfest and seeks county support for recreation ambassadors
Summary
Troy, a chamber representative, told the council March footfalls were down about 14% year‑over‑year while April was only about 3% down so far; he outlined Mayfest programming, other spring events, and said the chamber requested $40,000 from the county to fund part‑time paid Recreation Ambassador staff.
Troy, a representative of the local chamber, summarized visitor‑economy trends and event plans in a study‑session update, saying March pedestrian footfalls fell about 14% year‑over‑year while April month‑to‑date was only about 3% down.
The chamber is promoting a bigger Mayfest program with a second entertainment stage at the Fest Hall and a children’s appearance by Manuela Horn, a beer garden and expanded entertainment, Troy said. He also listed several spring events the chamber is marketing — Celtic Festival, Rockfest, Birdfest, the Alporn Festival, chainsaw carving demonstrations and a 5K “May Bloom” run — and noted the chamber’s Portland media outreach last week on KATU and an upcoming Fox 13 segment.
“Eight of the top 10 busiest pedestrian days in 2025 took place during chamber events,” Troy said, citing the chamber’s visitor counts and lodging‑tax data that show event days produce spikes in pedestrian activity.
Troy outlined the chamber’s Recreation Ambassador program, which had filled six of the planned 20 ambassador slots at the time of his presentation, and said the chamber asked the county for $40,000 this year to pay for some part‑time paid staff to backfill volunteers and expand weekday and Friday/Monday coverage; by contrast, he said the chamber asked for $90,000 in the prior year and received that award then. He said the additional funding would allow the program to staff more days and support visitor services when volunteers are unavailable.
Troy credited coordinated marketing with driving stronger recent weeks of visits and said the chamber is finalizing a destination guide and map for distribution this month. He also reported that about 30.4% of Leavenworth businesses are in accommodation, food service or retail, underlining the local economy’s sensitivity to visitor volumes.
Council members had no substantive disagreement during the presentation; the meeting moved directly to the city’s financial‑policy review after Troy’s update. Staff and the chamber are expected to continue coordinating on the Recreation Ambassador contract and the county grant request.
