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MCTA welcomes new member, elects officers

Joe Moylan

In other action ...

At its regular meeting Wednesday, the Moffat County Tourism Association Board:

• Approved a $5,000 funding request from the Moffat County Balloon Festival/Colorado State BBQ Championships planning committee.

• Approved a $150 funding request for the Craig Rotary Club reception.

• Discussed hosting a grand opening in early March for the new office space inside Centennial Mall.

• Discussed funding the Dinosaur visitor center.

• Discussed amending the length of board member terms.

• Set board training for March 5.

• Approved spending $400 on advertising for MCTA’s annual report.

• Heard a report from MCTA Director Melody Villard.

In other action …

At its regular meeting Wednesday, the Moffat County Tourism Association Board:

• Approved a $5,000 funding request from the Moffat County Balloon Festival/Colorado State BBQ Championships planning committee.

• Approved a $150 funding request for the Craig Rotary Club reception.



• Discussed hosting a grand opening in early March for the new office space inside Centennial Mall.

• Discussed funding the Dinosaur visitor center.



• Discussed amending the length of board member terms.

• Set board training for March 5.

• Approved spending $400 on advertising for MCTA’s annual report.

• Heard a report from MCTA Director Melody Villard.

The Moffat County Tourism Association Board met for the first time Wednesday since board appointments were approved by the Moffat County Commission last month.

In addition to welcoming new member Christopher Gamble, who moved to Craig from California to take over as general manager of the Holiday Inn of Craig, the board also elected officers for 2012.

Bryce Jacobson, Craig Daily Press publisher, was elected chairman. Leona Hemmerich, Tammie Thompson-Booker and Dee Bates will remain in their positions of vice-chairwoman, treasurer and secretary, respectively.

The board then addressed ongoing issues regarding a memorandum of understanding between MCTA and the Craig Chamber of Commerce.

MCTA, in addition to the City of Craig, Moffat County and the Chamber itself, contributes funding each year to help pay operational costs for the visitor center at 360 E. Victory Way.

But, an agreement between MCTA and the Chamber on 2012 funding has not been reached.

In addition to asking for more money than MCTA had allotted in its 2012 budget, negotiations stalled because MCTA board members requested amendments to the MOU asking the Chamber to provide end of the year reporting to show how money is spent.

“I personally feel like we have been trying to be good citizens and trying to have conversations with the Chamber of Commerce Board,” Thompson-Booker said. “I think asking for something multiple times and not getting that information, my feeling is to exercise our rights under the existing MOU to get out of it.”

Christina Oxley, executive director of the Chamber, said her board has been agreeable to providing MCTA with end of the year reporting since the request was first made in August 2011. and that the only hold up has been with the MOU’s verbiage.

Although an agreement has not officially been reached, the Chamber issued a first quarter bill to MCTA for $7,008.92, which reflects one-fourth of the money it originally asked for 2012.

Gamble offered a motion to honor the first payment.

“In the spirit of the MOU and in the spirit of community, we should sit down again with the Chamber board and examine the differences they have and work this out,” Gamble said. “It seems rather silly to me to have the Chamber of Commerce Board and the MCTA working cross purposes.

“I would recommend to the board that we pay the bill as it stands in good faith as long as negotiations can be scheduled quickly.”

That motion was defeated, 4-2.

MCTA decided instead to send payment of $6,750, which represents one-fourth of the $27,000 it budgeted for the Chamber in 2012.

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