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Children's museum director asks council for signage and outreach funds to boost tourism
Summary
Rachel Bounds, the new director of the Northeast Texas Children's Museum, told the council the museum has drawn 32,126 visitors year-to-date and asked for HOT-style funds to pay for I‑30 billboards, newcomer "house warmers," and school-district web advertising to increase out‑of‑county visitation.
Rachel Bounds, the new director of the Northeast Texas Children's Museum, told the City of Commerce council she is seeking local support to convert accidental visitation into deliberate tourism. "I've been collecting some data since I started in January... As of this last Saturday we're at attendance of 32,126 people," Bounds said, and added the museum is on track to match last year's roughly 48,000–50,000 visitors.
Bounds said 62% of guests come from outside Hunt County and about 46% find the museum by word-of-mouth, which motivates her request for strategic signage along I‑30 and targeted newcomer outreach. "Most of our visitors are coming down the I 30 Corridor... the lion's share of what I've asked for in our grant proposal is for signage, billboard signage along I 30," she said. She asked the council to consider funding a six-month billboard lease and modest contributions to "house warmer" newcomer gift bags and a school-district web slot she said costs about $1,212.75 per year.
Bounds framed the request as an economic-development play as well as a community good: the museum is the official field-trip destination for Sherman kindergarten classes and brings out‑of‑town families who spend locally. She told council members the museum would steward any funds carefully and use advertising to drive visitors to Commerce.
