Friday, January 28, 2011

Tourism tug of war

Decatur could pull riverboat permanently away from Florence
By Paul Huggins
The Decatur Daily

Decatur and Florence could be playing tug-of-war to become the full-time home for the Pickwick Belle riverboat.

Owners of the 90-foot paddle-wheeler began exploring sharing their excursion boat, currently based on Florence, with Decatur in December. A meeting with local tourism officials earlier this month, however, enticed them enough to discuss the possibility of moving it here permanently.

“I’ve been very impressed with the (Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau) and their staff on how precise they are and their long-term planning skills,” said Tanya Irwin, Pickwick Belle marketing director. “They, like us, want to be in a relationship that is beneficial to all.”

Tami Reist, visitors bureau president, told her board of directors Thursday that the bureau and the local hotels that lack meeting space would partner with Pickwick Belle’s marketing efforts, she said the riverboat operators want marketing support.

Also, if the riverboat was docked at Riverwalk Marina, it would gain from high visibility of being next to the U.S. 31 causeway. And Decatur is closer than Florence to the research companies in Huntsville that could charter the riverboat for meetings and parties.

Decatur police are gathering up-to-date traffic counts on the causeway that Reist said she will share with Pickwick officials. A 2009 traffic survey by the Alabama Department of Transportation showed between 44,120 and 46,880 vehicles using that stretch of highway daily.

There are multiple benefits to Decatur for having a riverboat, Reist said.

First and foremost is that it attracts out-of-town visitors, many of whom could spend the night, she said. Irwin said in December most of her customers come from outside Florence, with church groups and senior travel groups being the largest parts of the customer base.

Because the Pickwick Belle doesn’t have a kitchen, it relies on local caterers to prepare food for lunch and dinner cruises, and Reist said that’s a second area of the Morgan County economy that would benefit from the Belle.

Having a riverboat in Decatur also gives local residents more entertainment and leisure options, she added.

The next meeting between Pickwick and Decatur officials will include a local hotel manager; Steve Conner, owner of Riverwalk Marina; and Richard Grace, a member of the Decatur Utilities board, whom Reist said will discuss Pickwick’s options for safely unloading waste.

Reist said the only concern raised so far is whether Riverwalk Marina had enough parking left over from its boat launching and Hard Dock Cafe customers.

Conner said he doesn’t see Riverwalk parking being a big issue, especially since most boat launching is done at Ingalls Harbor now.

“I’m sure there would be a few hurdles we’d have go through to make it work, but I’m all for it,” he said. “It would be great for the city, great for Riverwalk, great for the community.”

Irwin said the Pickwick Belle wasn’t looking to move, but because it’s a business, the owners must look at other options that could prove more profitable. She said that there still are a lot of details to discuss at the next meeting with Decatur officials.

It’s still possible both Decatur and Florence could share the riverboat, Irwin said, but economically it’s more feasible to keep the Pickwick Belle in one place, not just from a fuel-cost perspective but time-wise, as well.

“If you’re an authentic paddle wheeler, then 5 or 6 mph is about the fastest speed you’re going to go,” she said. “You’re looking at 12 to 13 hours to travel (from Florence to Decatur). Whether you’re traveling with a customer on board or not, you’re still traveling with a captain and crew, and you have the same expenses as if you’re traveling with passengers.”

Tourism to pay $20,000 for study

By Paul Huggins
The Decatur Daily

Decatur tourism officials approved spending up to $20,000 for a conference center study they said hopefully would settle the decades-old debate.

Wade Weaver, treasurer for the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, made the motion for the expenditure Thursday, saying the study will stand apart from previous studies because it has no agenda.

The study, to be conducted by Colliers PFK Consulting USA, will tell whether Decatur can support a conference center and if so, what size and the best location for it, Weaver said.

Decatur officials have conducted similar studies in the past and even had drawings made for one downtown idea in the 1990s. Conference center discussions often brought on debate about whether it should be downtown or on the river, should it include an arena and would it attract a quality hotel as a joint venture.

The topic resurfaced in 2010 out of the formation of the One Vision, One Voice, One Morgan organization that brought community leaders together to explore improving quality-of-life issues, such as maintaining a balanced economy. After interviewing hundreds of local business and industry representatives, they learned Decatur needed larger meeting space and was missing out on conventions that could fill local hotels.

“This study could come back and tell us we can’t support one,” Weaver said, but he added it also could clearly show Decatur can support one and make it much easier to attract a private investor. “We’re chasing a hotel developer to do this thing.”

Jim Page, vice president of public policy and business development for the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, said the new study’s findings would be a recruitment tool for investors, especially because it removes one of their up-front costs to do their own study.

“And it’s going to carry more weight when we can hand them a study by a reputable firm that doesn’t have a dog in the fight,” he said.

Tami Reist, visitors bureau president, said her former employers used the same firm when deciding to build the Courtyard by Marriott on Beltline Road Southwest, and its recommendation for number of rooms was on target with what the hotel has accommodated.

Colliers PFK’s estimated it would cost them $17,000 to conduct the study over an eight-week period. The bureau board gave Reist the option to add $3,000 to the study should the project require more work than anticipated. The board will pay for the study out of bureau reserves.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Commission OKs Ingalls pavilion loan

By Sheryl Marsh
The Decatur Daily

Construction of a 1,200-seat pavilion at Ingalls Harbor could begin this week after the Morgan County Commission gave its approval Tuesday for the city of Decatur to borrow $1.6 million from the Regional Landfill.

The commission unanimously adopted a resolution that included a clause forbidding the city from asking the county to contribute to future operational costs of the landfill until the loan is repaid. The loan is for 15 years.

Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau President Tami Reist, who addressed the commission about the project during a work session, left satisfied.

"We're going to get a purchase order and start construction," she said. "It could start tomorrow (today)."

Reist said she plans to promote the pavilion to attract major events to the city.
The 26,000-square-foot facility is expected to hold up to 700 tables.

The construction contract will be between the city and Fite Building Co., which was the low bidder for the project.

The total estimated cost is $3.6 million.

Reist told the commission that the city pledged to lend $2 million for the pavilion.
Landfill Director Rickey Terry reassured the commission that the loan will not affect the landfill's operating costs.

The landfill has about $4 million in certificates of deposit and $13 million in liquid assets.

Chairman Ray Long said the pavilion will benefit all residents.

"I think everybody in the county can enjoy it," Long said.

"I'm glad we're in a situation where money is available to lend to projects like this."

Decatur Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Dunlap said he hopes to have a contract ready for Mayor Don Stanford to sign today.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Council OKs loan for events pavilion

By Evan Belanger
The Decatur Daily

The Decatur City Council has approved a plan to borrow up to $1.6 million from the Morgan County Regional Landfill to help finance a 1,200-seat events pavilion at Ingalls Harbor.

The 4-1 decision Monday leaves final consideration of the loan to the Morgan County Commission, which will vote during its 9 a.m. meeting today.

If approved, the city is expected to enter a construction contract with low bidder Fite Building Co. of Decatur by 5 p.m. today, ahead of the Friday deadline.

"I expect we'll be moving with haste on this now," city purchasing agent Jeff Fussell said.

The impromptu financing plan comes after the project stalled in December when construction bids for the 26,000-square-foot pavilion exceeded cost projections by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau President Tami Reist said Monday that the latest cost estimate of $3.6 million — more than $800,000 over initial estimates — would be enough. The estimate, she said, includes $100,000 for landscaping, a $250,000 contingency for unforeseen expenses, and money to purchase furniture and sound equipment for the facility, which city officials hope to open in September.

In addition to providing a weigh-in space for the bass tournaments at Ingalls Harbor, the pavilion is intended to provide a large meeting space that the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Decatur-Morgan County Hospitality Association will market to help attract large events.

"I know we have several industries that have to go into the Huntsville area because of a lack of space," Reist said. "Now, we kind of close that gap."

With seating for up to 700 tables, the pavilion would be more than twice the size of the largest meeting spaces available in Decatur.

Jackson against

Only Councilman Billy Jackson, who supported the project when officials estimated it would cost $2.8 million, opposed the plan Monday.

While he made no comment during discussion, he said after the meeting that the local economy did not justify the increased expense and that he would have preferred to reduce the scope of the project to meet the initial budget.

"In a time when our economic situation is what it is, I think it's more important to scale back," he said.

Jackson also said he did not want to further deplete the reserve funds of the city and the landfill.

Councilman Greg Reeves, who helped coordinate the project, said city officials had considered scaling down the pavilion to meet budget. But they decided a smaller pavilion would not meet the city's needs.

"The original vision was to have a facility that could seat a certain number of people and could be used to help promote certain events," he said. "There's only so much scaling and cutting you can do and still make the project worth doing."

Under the proposal, the city would loan up to $2 million from its $18 million reserve. The landfill would loan up to $1.6 million from $4 million held in certificates of deposit.

The Hospitality Association would repay the loans over 15 years using revenue from its $2-per-night tax on local hotel stays, which it uses to fund tourism-promoting projects.

During a pre-meeting work session Monday, City Attorney Herman Marks said the county has requested the city's guarantee that the landfill fees will not increase as a result of the loan.

He said they also want the city's assurance that the landfill loan will be repaid, even if the hospitality tax is not enough to cover the debt service.

"If the taxes are not enough, we'll have to take whatever steps are necessary to pay this back," Marks said.

Reist said the hospitality tax, which is projected to generate $450,000 this year, will be enough to cover the annual debt service.

Landfill Director Ricky Terry said the loan would not impact operations funding at the landfill, nor would it impact roughly $13 million the landfill is holding for capital projects and for the future closing of the landfill.

Friday, January 21, 2011

New angle to build pavilion

Council to consider plan for landfill loan after bids for Decatur facility come in $800K over budget
By Evan Belanger

The Decatur City Council and Morgan County Commission may call upon the local landfill to help build a 1,200-seat event pavilion at Decatur’s Ingalls Harbor.

The troubled project — now estimated to cost as much as $3.6 million, more than $800,000 over budget — has been on hold since mid-December, when construction bids exceeded the city’s cost projections by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But the City Council will consider at 10 a.m. Monday a plan that would have the Morgan County Regional Landfill loan up to $1.6 million from its financial reserves to cover the shortfall.

Commission Chairman Ray Long said the commission will consider the same plan for the landfill, which is owned jointly by the city and the county, at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

“We look forward to working with Decatur on making this happen,” he said. “Because the project will be good for both the city and county.”

City officials discussed the financing proposal in a meeting Wednesday at City Hall.

“This will be one of the first true city-county partnerships, and I think that’s a good thing,” said Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

With a Jan. 28 deadline for the city to award a construction contract, Reist said both the city and the county must approve the plan next week.

After that, the $3.02-million construction bid from low-bidder Fite Building Co. of Decatur will expire. Architect John Godwin said rising steel costs could push prices for the 26,000-square-foot pavilion higher if the city rebids the project.

Under the proposed financing plan, the city would loan up to $2 million from its more than $18-million reserve. That contribution is down from the $2.8 million the council agreed to loan for the project in May.

The landfill would make up the difference, loaning up to $1.6 million from more than $4 million it is holding in certificates of deposit, $2 million of which will mature in time to help fund the construction job.

The Decatur-Morgan County Hospitality Association would repay both loans over a period of 15 years, using revenue raised by its $2-per-night tax on local hotel stays. The association uses the self-imposed tax to fund local projects like the pavilion in an effort to promote local tourism.

In return for the loans, the city would earn more than $61,000 in interest from the hospitality association and the landfill more than $49,000 in interest. City officials said they plan to dedicate their portion of the interest to maintaining the pavilion though.

Landfill Director Ricky Terry said the loan would not impact the landfill’s operations funding, nor would it impact the roughly $13 million the landfill is holding for capital projects and for the future closing of the landfill.

The loan would temporarily impact the city’s reserve. But according to Finance Supervisor Linda McKinney, the city’s reserves would not drop below the $13 million minimum established by council resolution.

It was not clear Thursday whether the full council would support the new financing plan. While Council President Gary Hammon said he would allow its consideration, Councilman Ronny Russell said he was “shocked by the cost” and needed more information before he could support it.

“I don’t know that $1.6 million is something you need to try to rush through,” he said.

The city has already spent more than $71,000 on the pavilion project for design work and site preparation. The project, coordinated by Councilman Greg Reeves with cooperation from several other local officials, is designed to attract more interest to the city-owned boat harbor, beyond its current use as a popular destination for fishing tournaments.

It would more than double the size of the largest meeting spaces currently available in Decatur with the ability to seat up to 1,200 people or up to 700 at tables. While not air conditioned, wood-panel enclosures and heating would enable its use throughout the winter.

If approved this week, Godwin said he tentatively expects construction to conclude in early September, pending weather delays. That could allow the Decatur Jaycees to use it for this year’s Riverfest, set to begin Sept. 18. Jaycees spokesman Jim Page said they are planning for either scenario.

Basmaster's top angler to be crowned in Decatur

By Paul Huggins

The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society will crown its Angler of the Year at the conclusion of the Bassmaster Elite tournament held on Wheeler Lake on June 19.

Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, compared the event to NASCAR naming its top driver at the end of the race season, as the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year is the highest individual achievement in bass fishing, based on points earned during the season.

“It is a huge deal,” she said, “and the ESPN coverage as well as the added number of people coming to the River City to see this event is incredible news for our area.”

BASS informed Reist on Wednesday of changes in the Bassmaster Elite postseason that set up the award announcement for Decatur.

The $100,000 award will go to the angler with the most points from the 2011 season at the end of the Bassmaster Elite tourney in Decatur June 15-19. But that won’t be the end of the fishing season for top Elite Series pros.

In July, BASS will begin a new playoff. The top eight anglers in points, including angler of the year, will be invited to Toyota Trucks All-Star Week, beginning July 23, with preliminary competition on Lake Jordan near Wetumpka. In addition, Bassmaster fans will be able to select four wild-card competitors from the Bassmaster Elite Series lineup, based on votes cast at Bassmaster.com.

Michael Mulone, BASS director of site selection and event marketing, said it was simply good fortune that the new format fell into place for Decatur, but he couldn’t think of a better place for Bassmaster to have its showcase event.

“Ingalls Harbor is one of the premier fishing tournament places in the country,” he said. “It’s just a fabulous facility that we will get to highlight on our show and through our platforms. So this is just a great win for Decatur.”

The tournament and the announcement of the angler of the year will air on “The Bassmasters” television show on ESPN2, as well as the BASS website and magazine. And because of the national interest, BASS will feed the news to hundreds media outlets.

“This isn’t just any other tournament” Mulone said. “All the stories in all the papers for the other seven tournaments, will say ‘The angler of the year will be crowned later this year in June in Decatur, Alabama.’ And then those same papers and magazines will say ‘And this week in Decatur, the angler of the year was crowned.’ ”

Party atmosphere
The Decatur tournament also will benefit from more spectators coming to see the winner crowned, he said, and all the tournament sponsors will be there for what typically is a bigger party atmosphere than the other series tournaments.

“It will be a celebration of the year, and Decatur will be the site of it,” Mulone said.

Reist said the event gives Decatur another chance to show BASS that Decatur would be an ideal home for BASS headquarters.

In August, Reist sent a letter to new BASS owner Don Logan, a Morgan County native, offering Decatur to become the new headquarters. Its current headquarters is near Orlando.

“We’re going to do a big blowout to let (BASS) know how much our people love bass fishing,” Reist said. “Just imagine the crowds, ESPN, the new owner of BASS all here for this event and seeing the (Ingalls) pavilion 75 percent complete. This shows the people visiting our area that our leaders see the importance in economic development and tourism.”

Top anglers from the past
The B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year has been given annually since 1970, with Bill Dance taking the first of his three crowns that year. Roland Martin won Angler of the Year nine times, the most in B.A.S.S. history. Kevin VanDam is closing in on that record with six crowns, including the past three. The 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series begins in March with 101 anglers vying for angler of the year.

Past 10 anglers of the year:

2001: Mark Davis

2002: Davy Hite

2003: Jay Yelas

2004: Gerald Swindle

2005: Aaron Martens

2006: Michael Iaconelli

2007: Skeet Reese

2008: Kevin VanDam

2009: Kevin VanDam

2010: Kevin VanDam

Thursday, January 20, 2011

2011 top Bass angler to be crowned in Decatur

By the Decatur Daily

Bassmaster’s top 2011 angler to be crowned in Decatur

Decatur tourism officials have learned that BASS will crown its Angler of the Year at the conclusion of the Bassmaster Elite tournament held on Wheeler Lake on June 19.

Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, compared the event to NASCAR naming its top driver at the end of the race season, as the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year is the highest individual achievement in bass fishing, based on points earned during the season.

“It is a huge deal,” she said, “and the ESPN coverage as well as the added number of people coming to the River City to see this event is incredible news for our area.”

BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) informed Reist on Wednesday of changes in the Bassmaster Elite postseason that set up the award announcement for Decatur.

The $100,000 award will go to the angler with the most points from the 2011 season at the end of the Bassmaster Elite tourney in Decatur June 15-19. But that won’t be the end of the fishing season for top Elite Series pros.

In July, BASS will begin a new playoff. The top eight anglers in points, including angler of the year, will be invited to Toyota Trucks All-Star Week, beginning July 23, with preliminary competition on Lake Jordan near Wetumpka. In addition, Bassmaster fans will be able to select four wild card competitors from the Bassmaster Elite Series lineup, based on votes cast on www.Bassmaster.com.

Reist said the event gives Decatur another chance to show BASS that Ingalls Harbor is the premier tournament facility in America and Decatur would be an ideal home for BASS headquarters.

In August, Reist sent a letter to new BASS owner Don Logan, a Morgan County native, offering Decatur to become the new headquarters. Its current headquarters is near Orlando.

“We’re going to do a big blowout to let (BASS) know how much our people love bass fishing,” Reist said. “Just imagine the crowds, ESPN, the new owner of B.A.S.S. all here for this event and seeing the pavilion 75 percent complete. This shows the people visiting our area that our leaders see the importance in economic development and tourism.”