Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Museum and merchants warn council of downtown decline; museum asks for briefing and marketing plan
Summary
A Last Supper Museum representative told the council that downtown Douglas has lost roughly 21 businesses since the museum opened and urged city leaders and staff to visit the museum for a briefing on a proposed economic 'triangle' strategy; the council was asked to improve marketing, streamline permitting, and support downtown revitalization.
Douglas — During public comment on June 10, a representative of the Last Supper Museum told the Mayor and Council that downtown Douglas is experiencing economic decline and urged city leaders to collaborate on a new marketing and recruitment strategy.
Eric Braverman, representing the Douglas Tourism and Economic Authority and the Last Supper Museum, told the council that 21 downtown businesses had closed since the museum opened and that remaining merchants reported about a 20% decline in business. He expressed skepticism about recent council statements that national chains were imminent and said he had independently confirmed that several chains — including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC — had no plans to locate in Douglas. Braverman asked that the mayor, council and senior staff visit the Last Supper Museum the following day for a briefing on a proposed "triangle" strategy designed to boost day visits, weekend stays and broader promotion of Douglas.
Other public commenters highlighted local programming and events that aim to draw visitors, including the Borderlands Gravel race (expected to bring about 800 visitors over two days and an estimated $200,000 economic impact last year) and Home Court Douglas youth basketball camps. Council members asked staff to follow up on specific code enforcement, lighting and sidewalk concerns raised by commenters.
Mayor Jose Grijalva asked staff to engage with Mr. Braverman and consider the promotional opportunities he raised, including the pending documentary coverage noted by Braverman. No formal council action resulted directly from the public comments, but the concerns were directed to staff for follow-up.
The city manager and staff will coordinate responses on permitting timelines, marketing support requests, and any follow-up visits the museum requested.
