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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 Supplemental Gateway 2021 Supplemental Request for Lodging Tax/Tourism Funding Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor Center RECEIVED Jefferson Co.Washington—Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor Center JUL 3 0 2021 Name of Oversite Organization:Jefferson County Historical Society JEFFERSON COUNTY Web Site: www.enjoyolympicpeninsula.com COMMISSIONERS Mailing Address: P. O. Box 65478 Port Ludlow, WA 98365 Contact Person: Bill Roney E-Mail: www.gatewayvcr@olympus.net Phone: 360-437-0120 Funding Request Outline: Upgrade Visitor Site for compromised ADA access and to address deferred maintenance. Amount Requested: To be determined by Jefferson County Facilities Manager review and best bid process. REQUEST OUTLINE:To ensure continued tourism promotion at the Gateway on a yearly basis in a safe and welcoming manner. The Gateway Visitor Center was in process of addressing the most needed deferred maintenance issues in fall of 2019 when weather and funding issues stopped process. The arrival of the Corona Pandemic in 2020 and associated closures, uncertainty, and projected lack of funding halted the process that year. Now opportunity to correct these deferred maintenance objectives is on hand. Our objectives are listed in order of importance below. 1. Address broken, rotted, and removed sections of ADA hand railing to code. 2. Replace worn, unglued, and threadbare indoor/outdoor carpeting on front porch and ADA ramp to reduce tripping hazard. 3. Pressure wash and paint exterior of building. Building is shabby looking and, in some places, reached the point where wood rot and mold is becoming evident. On south side of building trim in areas is down to bare wood. Note: As manager at the Gateway in 2010 I removed and replaced indoor/outdoor carpeting and painted exterior of building and trim with Volunteer assistance. We used small portion of Gateway Yearly Budget for materials,and all work was accomplished without need for supplemental LTAC funding. Currently, many of those Volunteers who assisted are too old or no longer with us. 4. Address some florescent lighting issues inside Center; tubes can no longer be safely removed from some fixtures with out breakage. r, �r Conclusion: The Gateway Visitor Center operates on a year-round basis, at this time on a 6 day a week scheduling format. We are still staffed at times by Volunteers and are open 10:00am to 4:00pm including Holidays. So far in 2021 we have greeted and provided information to over 2,200 travelers on site. We have contacted, via request-based Bulk Mailings and other programs,almost 11,000 more potential visitors. The Gateway serves all tourism related business in Jefferson County and the Olympic Peninsula. To extend our influence we also partner with the Olympic Peninsula Visitors Bureau and communities of Clallam County in many Marketing endeavors. Please consider use of supplemental 2021 LTAC funding or the Gateway Dedicated funding reserves, ($10,000),set aside for the Visitor Center on a yearly basis. Thank you all for your review and consideration, Bill Roney Bill Roney Manager Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor Center P. O. Box 65478 93 Beaver valley nu. Port Ludlow,WA 98365 360-437-0170 360-531-0120 gatewayvcr@olympus.net