Tourism approves grant applications

Jamestown  (CSi)  The Jamestown Tourism Grant/Executive Advisory Board met Thursday at The CSi Tech Center, at Historic Franklin School.

On the agenda for grants requests were: Fort Seward for staffing, National Buffalo Museum for: Staffing, White Cloud Days, and the Video Orientation Project.  Frontier Village requested grant dollars for Staffing, and a Horse Grant, and Dakota Anglers.

Fort Seward, represented by Dale Marks requested, up to $10,000 for staffing of the Interpretive Center.

The Board granted $9,350, to staff two individuals, Tom Norman and Jane Norman.

The National Buffalo Museum represented by Manager, Ilano Xinos, requested $3,000 to advertise the 2017 White Cloud Days activities to be held July 8, 2017.

The event includes, the parade, Classic Car Show, Mini Art Hunt, Crafts, Food and other vendors.

The Board granted the full amount.

It requested $5,609 for staff funding, for seasonal staff wages and Gift Shop Assistant.

The Board granted $6,038 which includes taxes.

$10,000 in a request, for continued construction of the museum theater, consisting of the film and Theater Project, production of a theater-quality museum orientation film, and construction of a 300 square foot museum theater for visitors to view the film, along with renovations to the first room of the museum was fully granted by the Board.

Frontier Village represented by Tina Busche, requested, $37,970.23 for overall budgeted operations.

After a lengthy discussion concerning maintenance, and overall accountability of how and where the dollars are spent, the Board voted to approve $25,778 dollars with the stipulation of monthly documentation of expenditures, and from what areas of the budget.

Also requested was $11,700 for a Horse Grant, for Stagecoach and Pony rides, from Memorial Day to Labor Day which was approved with the stipulation of accountability of the number of rides provided and the cost of each ride.

Dakota Anglers represented by Lynn Lambrecht requested $1,000 to bring a fishing personality to the Sport & Recreation Show to be held February 3 and 4, 2017 at the Jamestown Civic Center, for a fishing personality, Josh Klein.  He will host three seminars to be held during the show dates.

The Board granted, granted the full amount, with the stipulation that there is an accountability of the attendance numbers.

In other business, the Board discussed the County Mill Levy Expenditures for tourism entities.

Tourism Director, Searle Swedlund pointed out the necessity of verifying to the county, the entities of the Jamestown Arts Center, and the Stutsman County Museum.