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Councilwoman Newton urges RFP for countywide sports and recreation tourism strategic study
Summary
At a July 7 Richland County strategic planning committee meeting, Councilwoman Newton and colleagues asked staff to draft an RFP for a countywide sports and recreation tourism study to identify market fit, partnerships, infrastructure needs and phased implementation; staff said a draft will return within two meetings.
On July 7, the Richland County Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee discussed commissioning a comprehensive countywide sports and recreation tourism strategic study and implementation plan to be procured by RFP, a motion originating from the county’s recent budget approval.
The maker of the motion, identified in discussion as Councilwoman Newton, told the committee she wants data-driven analysis to determine whether travel-event tourism would work in Richland County and where the county’s competitive advantages lie. "Can we bring someone in who can give us data to say what would be best for us?" Newton said, noting the county lacks a parks and recreation commission and that any plan will require cross-jurisdictional partnerships.
Councilwoman Cooper said the RFP should inventory existing work (for example, efforts by the Convention and Visitors Bureau), identify gaps and evaluate whether new capital investment — building or repurposing facilities — is warranted. "Maybe the study says we just need to promote what we already have, but there also could be the ability to say, could the addition of some type of building or facility actually really bring in more tourism to the area?" she said.
Councilman Livingston urged the study to target destination-level opportunities and to include operational planning and access considerations. Committee members also recommended phased scenarios (short-term versus 5–10 year visions), an economic-impact estimate in proposals, and attention to community use during off-season periods.
Administrator Brown described staff’s next steps and timeline: an internal meeting to capture committee input, development of a draft RFP and return of that draft to the committee for review. "So I would say within two meetings…next meeting, there should be an update," Brown said, adding staff will assess the approved budget tied to the project and ensure the RFP scope is realistic given the funding.
The committee did not vote to adopt a final RFP at the meeting; members provided feedback and asked staff to prepare a draft for committee review within the timeline Brown described. The committee then moved on to a second study item on small-business recruitment and adjourned after routine business.
