County and Town officials try to get on the same page for joint tourism marketing effort

On Monday, November 29, a joint Front Royal Town Council and Warren County Board of Supervisors work session on “Tourism” marketing indicated some confusion and several communication breakdowns about exactly what path the two municipalities have taken toward a new cooperative strategy to draw tourism dollars their way. High on that list of confusion appeared to be dueling January and July MOAs (Memorandum Of Agreement) the County and Town appear to be working with, or without. County Administrator Ed Daley noted the county apparatus was working with a January MOA. Town Manager Steven Hicks pointed out that the Town had submitted an updated, counter MOA in July that may have been lost in the cracks of the Warren County Government Center.

Wait, which MOA are you working with? County Administrator Ed Daley, right, references a January Memorandum of Agreement he said the County continues to use as Steven Hicks, center listens. Hicks soon noted that the Town had sent a counter, updated MOA to the County for consideration in July. Town Finance Director B.J. Wilson, far left, listens – as long as he, and his County counterpart, knows where the money is, everything should be okay. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

However, Daley did note that the County’s last two months of lodging and restaurant business during the Fall leaf season have set revenue records. That might indicate that the tourism promotional path, even in an unfinished and partial holding pattern one, is having a positive effect. Or maybe it’s just a consequence of stir-crazy Northern Virginia/D.C. Metro residents “running to the hills” to take advantage of the statewide easing of COVID-19 Coronavirus public gathering restrictions. After all, while new marketing strategies are being developed, for decades it hasn’t been a secret that the river, mountains, national and state parks, and hiking trails are here 50 to 70 miles west of the D.C. Metro area.

North River County Supervisor Delores Oates took the lead in moderating the work session but noted that Front Royal Vice-Mayor Lori Cockrell had requested it in the wake of conversations between the two on the status of the joint tourism marketing initiative.

In addition to Cockrell, present on the Town side were council members Letasha Thompson, Gary Gillespie, Amber Morris, Joseph McFadden and Scott Lloyd, Town Manager Steven Hicks and Finance Director B.J. Wilson.

Joining Oates from the County side were board Chair Cheryl Cullers, incoming Fork and Happy Creek Supervisors Vicky Cook and Jerome “Jay” Butler, Deputy County Administrator Taryn Logan, Deputy Purchasing Agent Alisa Scott and Daley. Also present were Joint Tourism Committee members Kerry Barnhart and Scott Turnmeyer.

Town and County officials, along with Joint Tourism Committee members in two of the three ‘cheap seats’ in right background, listen as work session moderator Delores Oates, speaking right-center, summarizes where the joint municipal tourism effort is at, or believes it’s at, or may be at some point in the future.

An accompanying Power Point reviewed the four options on a path forward that had been considered, with the fourth in that list – “Fully Contracted Out with Committee Leadership” – having been the one settled on. That structure begins with Town and County oversight of the existing appointed Joint Tourism Committee. A decision was also made after the Town disassembled its in-house Tourism and Community Development Departments under the leadership of former interim town manager Matt Tederick, to hire a marketing company, JLL (Jones, Lang, LaSalle Inc.), with expertise in tourism promotion, to an 18-month contract.

Contacted the following day, Oates said the result of the approximately three-hour work session is that that in-progress fourth option will be continued with the conversion of the Joint Tourism Committee into a 501-3c non-profit entity that will eventually take over the Town-County marketing function once the contract with JLL expires – possibly in June of next year if by mutual agreement. Oates explained that the 501-3c was necessary to legally access certain state “Tourism” funding sources. However, Daley pointed out that other related revenue sources didn’t require the non-profit organizational status, being available under categories like “Recreation” and “Trails” apart from “Tourism”.

At the outset of the 6 p.m. meeting the difference between “Big-T” and “Little-t” tourism was defined. Big-T was cited, not only as our natural resources that draw tourists, but also large promotional events like the Festival of the Leaves designed to draw a large tourist crowd from outside the community that will spend money while here on tourism-related activities and hopefully overnight accommodations and meals. Little-t was defined as smaller, community-building events more directed to local residents. The latter was cited as important in creating a higher quality of life for the local population that can contribute to tourism marketing of the community.

Downtown restaurant owner and Joint Tourism Committee member Kerry Barnhart, right center, offers her perspective on where the committee and contracted tourism marketer JLL are in bringing a cohesive, mutually beneficial, and 21st century marketing strategy into play for Front Royal and Warren County.

Also discussed at the outset of the meeting was how the Town and County will manage future growth – “Do we want sprawl from Northern Virginia?” Oates asked of visitors who might be attracted by a perceived higher quality of life to relocate. How tourism and “bedroom community” sprawl might interact was a sidebar to the main focus of increasing tourism as a major revenue source for both the town and county governmental structures.

Councilman Scott Lloyd argued long and hard against the creation of an independent “EDA-like” entity at the center of future tourism promotion, fearing future financial scandals from another quasi-governmental organization. – “Why did we create our own EDA?” he asked rhetorically at one point.

Councilman Joseph McFadden raises his hand to interrupt fellow councilman Scott Lloyd’s objections to the involvement of an independent entity overseeing the joint tourism marketing effort; and extends that hand to reassert the point that municipal control will remain in play with funding (and appointment) control, as well as an exit clause to any contractual arrangement.

However, several others asserted the Town and County would retain control of the seemingly legally necessary 501-3c or DMO (Destination Management Organization) through authorizing funding and having membership representation and appointment authority. In addition to local business representatives Barnhart and Turnmeyer, current Joint Tourism Committee members present included Council members Thompson and Gillespie, and herself, Oates pointed out.

Whether Monday’s sometimes circular and disjointed work session discussion will lead to a clearing up of the somewhat muddy waters of the Town-County tourism marketing effort remains to be seen. But at least the discussion and various explanations of legal aspects of tourism-related grant access was a start toward a clearing of those waters – jointly.

While clarity and consensus were sometimes missing, at least there was food and drink available to bolster the ‘troops’ over the three-hour (6-to-9 p.m.) work session – and promisingly, no food fights broke out.