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REPORT - MAYOR'S TOUR'IST-i'NFORMATION CENTER COMMITTEE THE FOLLOWING REPORT OF THE MAYORWS TOURIST )NFORHATION CENTER COMMITTEE WAS PRESENTED: To: THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE FROM: THE MAYORtS TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER COMMITTEE ON FRIDAY~ DECEM.BER 28) )962 THE ABOVE COMMITTEE HELD ITS FINAL' MEETING AND WISHES TO REPORT TO YOU ITS FINDINGS. IN ATTEMPTING TO REACH A CONCLUSION ON THE BASIC POINTS AS SET FORTH IN THE ORIGINAL LETTER DESCRIBING THE DUTIES OF THIS COMMITTEE~ YOUR COMMITTEE MADE A SURVEY OF CERTAIN OTHER CITIES TO DETERMINE WHERE TOURIST INFORMATION CENTERS EITHER EXISTED OR WERE PLANNED) AND .TO OBTAIN SPECIFIC INFORMATION FROM PAST AND PRESENT EXPERIENCES OF THESE EXISTING CENTERS. ~NCLUDED IN THE SURVEY WERE THE FOLLOWING CITIES: ALEXANDRIA~ VIRGINIA FREDERICKSBURG~ VIRGINIA WILLIAMSBURG~ VIRGINIA HARPERS FERRY~ WEST VIRGINIA ANNAPOLIS~ MARYLAND GETTYSBURG~ PENNSYLVANIA NIAGARA FALLS~ NEW YORK ~ALEIGH~ NORTH CAROLINA ASHEVILLE~ NORTH CAROLINA GATLINBURG~ TENNESSEE CHARLESTON~ WEST VIRGINIA COLUMBIA~ SOUTH CAROLINA SAVANNAH~ GEORGIA ST, AUGUSTINE~ FLORIDA DAYTONA BEACH~ FLORIDA ORLANDO~ FLORIDA SARASOTA~ FLORIDA FORT MYERS~ FLORIDA MONTGOMERY~ ALABAMA MOBILE~ ALABAMA BILOXI~ MISSISSIPPI VICKSBURG~ MISSISSIPPI WHEREAS~ WE RECEIVED COOPERATION IN VARYING DEGREES IN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS ON OUR SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE~ WE DID FIND OUT THINGS WHICH WE FEEL ARE OF MUCH VALUE TO US, PRACTI:CALLY ALL OF THESE CITIES HAVE INFORMATION CENTERS. WI-TH FEW EXCEPTIONS~ THESE CENTERS ARE BEING OPERATED BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THESE CENTERS ARE BEING FINANCED IN VARIOUS WAYS. IN ASHEViLLE~ NORTH CAROLINA THE CITY BUILT THE CENTER AND THE CHAMBER OPERATES IT. IN BILOXI~ MISSISSIPPI THE CITY BOUGHT AN OLD HISTORIC BUILDING FOR THEIR INFORMATION CENTER AND IT IS OPERATED BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THEY POINT OUT THAX THEIR COUNTY OF HARRISON SPENDS OVER ~5~000 PER YEAR IN DISPLAY ADVERTISING. ~N SARASOTA~ FLORIDA THE TOURIST ~NFORMATION CENTER IS UNDER THE SAME ROOF WITH THE CHAMBER~ OPERATED BY THE CHAMBER~ AND SUBSIDIZED BY THE CITY, ~N VICKSBURG) MISSISSIPPI THE TOURIST INFORMATION BOOTH IS OPERATED BY THE CHAMBER~ BUT SUBSIDIZED BY THE CITY AND COUNTY. ~N ~T. AUGUSTINE~ FLORIDA THE TOURIST CENTER BUILDING IS OWNED BY THE ClTY~ ITS OPERATIONAL EXPENSE OF ~000.00 PER YEAR DEFRAYED BY THE CITY~ AND IT IS ADMINISTERED AND OPERATED BY THE CHAMBER. · AS A RESULT OF THE INFORMATION GAINED FROM OUR SURVEY~ PLUS OTHER INFORMATION WE HAVE RECEIVED~ OUR COMMITTEE REPORTS TO YOU THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: (1) WE FEEL THAT THERE IS DEFINITELY A NEED FOR A TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER IN CHARLOTTESVILLE AND WE URGE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ONE. (YOUR ORIGINAL CHARGE TO US INCLUDED REFERENCE TO A MUSEUM. ON THIS SUBJECT WE RECOMMEND THAT FURTHER CONSIDERATION BE GIVEN TO THIS ITEM IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS). (2) WE FEEL THAT THE TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED AND OPERATED BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, (3) WE HAKE NO RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF THE CENTER~ AS THE CHAMBER WILL SOON BE READY T.O MOVE INTO THEIR NEW FACILITIES AND HAS MADE PHYSICAL PROVISIONS FOR THE INFORRATION CENTER, (~) WE FEEL THAT THE' CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE SHOULD FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE TOURIST INFORHATiON CENTER TO THE EXTENT OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES INCURRED BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE TOURIST INFORMATION' CENTER. ~N VIEW OF THE EXPERIENCE GAINED THIS PAST YEAR DURING OUR ~OOTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WHICH PROVED CONCLUSIVELY THAT DIRECTIONAL SIGNS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY ARE NECESSARY IN DIRECTING TOURISTS AND VISITORS TO THE INFORMATION CENTER~ OUR COMMITTEE URGES THE CITY TO COOPERATE WITH THE CHAMBER IN THE DESIGN AND ERECTION OF DIRECTIONAL SIGNS FOR THIS AND FUTURE YEARS. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED~ F, PAGE NELSON - CHAIRMAN THE REPORT WAS ACCEPTED AND THE MAYOR EXPRESSED HIS APPRECIATION TO THE COMMITTEE fO~ THEIR EFFORTS. ON MOTION BY MR. 3CRIBNER~ SECONDED BY MR. LEE~ THE FOLLOWING REPORT OF THE STREET COMMITTEE WAS UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED: