Town points toward Memorial Day weekend expanded East Main St. opening

Following a far-ranging Monday evening, May 18, work session discussion on the future direction of Tourism promotion and how best to deal with coming revenue shortfalls from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the Front Royal Town Council zeroed in a short term solution to both – an expanded, outdoor, perhaps partially tent-enclosed opening of Front Royal’s Historic Downtown Business District for the coming Memorial Day weekend.

Part of the Tourism Advisory Committee marketing function PowerPoint presented to council Monday – could there be new dawn out of the recent sunset within Town Tourism marketing?

To facilitate that goal, as well as moving toward ending credit card utility bill payment fee forgiveness as of the July 1st start of Fiscal Year 2021, the council scheduled a Thursday work session to authorize final decisions on both matters. Thursday’s virtually broadcast work session will begin at 6:30 p.m. to facilitate the educational schedule of Councilwoman Lori Cockrell.

A council consensus was reached to move forward aggressively on these issues near the end of the 2-1/2 hour work session. The first half-hour of that work session was spent in closed session to discuss “consideration or interviews of prospective candidates for employment with the Town” – perhaps a hint at movement toward the hiring of a new town manager.

Directly out of closed session council heard from Joint County-Town Tourism Advisory Committee Vice-Chair Kerry Barnhart on options to rebuild the community’s Tourism promotion apparatus. As noted somewhat subtly in Vibe Properties principal Barnhart’s presentation, that apparatus on the Town side was somewhat derailed by the January removal of “the Director of Tourism leaving a void in structure and leadership”.

That director was Town Director of Community Development Felicia Hart, who played a leadership role in the Joint Tourism Advisory Committee and town tourism promotion and related business development. Hart was suddenly terminated, along with several other key Town department heads, as part of the unveiling of Interim Town Manager Matt Tederick’s FY-2021 Budget proposal, which did not wait until the July 1 start of the next fiscal year to begin implementing cuts to Town departmental budgets.

And while now appearing prescient on revenue shortfalls that would soon hit the current budget year from the COVID-19 pandemic on the horizon, the long-term impacts on town government organization and effectiveness are still hotly debated by citizens, and one might guess soon by the council and mayoral candidates in the making.

A situation in flux during an approaching volatile tourist season complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic which is on the verge of killing an estimated 100,000 Americans by June 1, a little over 4 months since the first U.S. case was reported; not to mention the economic turmoil stemming from medically advised precautions to limit contagion.

Tourism by the numbers
As for revenue and Tourism, Barnhart noted that the Town and County are both legally committed to investing a precise amount of their tax revenue in Tourism promotion. Those numbers are 70% of the Town’s Lodging Tax revenue (70% of $190,000 in a recent budget year) and 60% of the County’s Lodging Tax revenue (60% of $195,000), Barnhart told the council. While the approximate $250,000 of combined revenue is significant, it can evaporate quickly in the competitive regional and national Tourism industry marketing scene, Barnhart observed.

Barnhart’s detailed presentation on the variety of ways in which tourism destinations around the nation promote themselves: in-house; contracted out to either a local chamber of commerce or private sector marketer; alone or in conjunction with partnering municipalities; or some combination of those, drew the first question from Councilwoman Lori Cockrell.

“In the best of all possible worlds, which of those would you recommend?”

While reluctant to pass a lone final judgment, Barnhart noted that partnering with your involved neighbor, Warren County, in this case, was crucial to present a coordinated, mutually beneficial result. That result would present one voice promoting both the town and county successfully. However, she did suggest that with the name “Front Royal” plastered along westbound Interstate-66 from the D.C. Metro/Northern Virginia area in a bit of free VDOT-generated publicity, that the name “Front Royal” be the marketing name choice for that joint promotion.

She added that any outsourcing had to be accomplished through a highly transparent and competitive process to avoid any appearance of impropriety with taxpayer-funded public money – “Transparency is incredibly important,” she told town officials. She also suggested tight oversight of any outside marketer to avoid “a plastic appearance” in the marketing; as well as a short-term, one-year initial and breakable contract to assure the community was getting what it paid for from a contracted marketing company.

Joint Tourism Advisory Committee Vice-Chair Kerry Barnhart at a March tourism committee meeting. Through their Vibe Properties Barnhart and her husband are recent investors in this community’s tourism potential focused within Front Royal’s Historic Downtown Business District. Royal Examiner Photos/Roger Bianchini

Why worry over the numbers?

“Tourism is one of the largest industries in Front Royal/Warren County, bringing in $151 million in revenue, $34 million in payroll, and 1700 jobs,” Barnhart said in citing statistics from the Virginia Tourism Authority, circa 2018.

Quick turnaround
“Well damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead,” as vintage World War II movie surface ship captains used to say facing threats from a submerged enemy.

Following a subsequent agenda item consensus decision that the forgiveness of credit card payment fees of 2.35% totaling an estimated $240,000 in revenue in the next Fiscal Year should not be extended beyond the June 30th end of FY-2020, the council looked at the potential of a short-term positive turnaround on sales tax and perhaps some tourism-generated revenue.

That turnaround could come this looming Memorial Day weekend with a Town-overseen outdoor-oriented opening of East Main Street’s Historic Downtown Business District and its many restaurants. That idea was broached last week by Councilman Jacob Meza, who suggested a temporary closing of a portion of East Main Street to vehicular traffic to facilitate outdoor restaurant seating along a walking mall-styled downtown.

Interim Town Manager Tederick told council there had been some negative push back to the idea of temporarily closing a portion of downtown East Main Street to accommodate the governor’s social distancing guidelines for restaurant reopenings.

Responding to a question from Chris Holloway, Tederick noted those concerns came from other types of business owners, concerned at the loss of front of house parking. However, Tederick noted that along with a two or three-block stretch of East Main Street the lost parking would be fairly minimal.

No, Thank You – while Barnhart’s Tourism presentation was over with a graphic acknowledging the natural resources the county and nearby national and state parks provide, the answers on a path forward are just beginning meaningful discussion.

Tederick was directed to employ a quick survey of downtown businesses, and restaurants’ interest in utilizing outdoor seating for the coming weekend, as a basis for a council decision in the coming days.

Contacted Tuesday, Tederick told Royal Examiner of the game plan with Memorial Day weekend three days away.

“All hands on deck meeting at 11:00 a.m.,” Tederick said for involved town staff Tuesday morning, adding, “Based upon direction from Council last night, the goal is the close Main Street Friday at 3 p.m. and reopens Tuesday 7 a.m. – this decision is not final. I have had staff considering this for over a week and now we just need to execute. Many, many details to consider and people with whom to coordinate, as well as, ensuring safety, security, and minimal inconvenience for citizens and businesses.”

By the end of Thursday night’s work session, council’s intentions for an expanded downtown opening this weekend will be known, one way or the other.

“Ensuring safety, security, and minimal inconvenience” for all would appear to be the operative phrase as a decision approaches.

Listen to this discussion during the final 18 to 20 minutes of this nearly two-hour Royal Examiner recording of Monday’s work session. That recording begins with Barnhart’s Tourism Marketing PowerPoint presentation and subsequent Q&A over the virtual work session’s first hour and 10 minutes; followed by a discussion of FY 2020 revenue issues and the extent of the waiver on credit card payment fees through the end of this fiscal year.

Stay informed, stay safe, stay smart.