The Decatur City Council will hold a special work session at 9 a.m. Monday on the seventh floor of City Hall.
Council President Greg Reeves said the Decatur Convention and Visitors Bureau will give a presentation on plans for Ingalls Harbor.
Also, the Decatur Emergency Medical Services Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. Thursday on the seventh floor of City Hall.
The meeting agenda states the only item of business is a resolution to support interventional cardiology at Decatur General Hospital without onsite surgery.
EVAN BELANGER, The Decatur Daily
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Visitors bureau warns about coupon book scam
The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau is warning local businesses about a company claiming to sell advertisements for a discount coupon book associated with the bureau.
Bureau President Tami Reist said the business is a scam.
“The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau is in no way associated or under contract with Loyalty Publishing for the production of a coupon book or any type of electronic or printed material,” Reist said.
The company, located in Peoria, Ill., operates with the names of Loyalty Publishing, All-Star Publishing and Sky Publishing.
Catherine Godbey, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
Bureau President Tami Reist said the business is a scam.
“The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau is in no way associated or under contract with Loyalty Publishing for the production of a coupon book or any type of electronic or printed material,” Reist said.
The company, located in Peoria, Ill., operates with the names of Loyalty Publishing, All-Star Publishing and Sky Publishing.
Catherine Godbey, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
Friday, February 5, 2010
Complete the vision at Ingalls Harbor
Editorial, The Decatur Daily
Book a vacation at the beach and you will pay a hefty lodging tax that goes for a variety of improvements you may never use.
Most large cities impose a lodging tax that doesn’t usually impact citizens because they don’t pay it. They stay at home.
In Decatur’s case, local hotels asked the city almost a decade ago to impose such a tax. It has generated in excess of $3 million for improvements and incentives that help the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau bring visitors to town.
The tax is $2 per room per night and generated $448,000 last fiscal year.
The city borrowed $4.2 million to buy and develop Ingalls Harbor, an industrial eyesore that a previous city administration began changing into one of the grandest places along the Tennessee River.
The hospitality tax pays the debt service. Convention and Visitor board members this week saw plans for the next phase.
Called “Completing the Vision,” the plan appears to capture what former Mayor Lynn Fowler and council members at that time had in mind when they called for a first-class facility.
The plan calls for a $2.7 million pavilion the board would like the city to consider on the park’s east side as the next improvement. It would be a 25,000-square-foot, multi-purpose facility.
In all, the plan calls for $7 million in phased-in additions — all first class. The hospitality tax is also enough to pay that debt, once the original debt is paid.
Remember: The city may pay for these additions using someone else’s money, which is smart business.
Book a vacation at the beach and you will pay a hefty lodging tax that goes for a variety of improvements you may never use.
Most large cities impose a lodging tax that doesn’t usually impact citizens because they don’t pay it. They stay at home.
In Decatur’s case, local hotels asked the city almost a decade ago to impose such a tax. It has generated in excess of $3 million for improvements and incentives that help the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau bring visitors to town.
The tax is $2 per room per night and generated $448,000 last fiscal year.
The city borrowed $4.2 million to buy and develop Ingalls Harbor, an industrial eyesore that a previous city administration began changing into one of the grandest places along the Tennessee River.
The hospitality tax pays the debt service. Convention and Visitor board members this week saw plans for the next phase.
Called “Completing the Vision,” the plan appears to capture what former Mayor Lynn Fowler and council members at that time had in mind when they called for a first-class facility.
The plan calls for a $2.7 million pavilion the board would like the city to consider on the park’s east side as the next improvement. It would be a 25,000-square-foot, multi-purpose facility.
In all, the plan calls for $7 million in phased-in additions — all first class. The hospitality tax is also enough to pay that debt, once the original debt is paid.
Remember: The city may pay for these additions using someone else’s money, which is smart business.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
$2.7M pavilion a priority in Ingalls proposal
Plans to complete harbor
By Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
A $2.7 million pavilion heads the list of revised plans for completing Ingalls Harbor.
Architect John Godwin unveiled the revisions, called “Completing the Vision,” to the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other city and tourism officials will begin reviewing plans this month. Money to begin implementing plans could become available this fall.
Overall, the plan shows more than $7 million in improvements and includes nine family-sized pavilions, paved plazas, a building for a museum and a landmark lighthouse tower where the Ingalls lagoon meets the Tennessee River.
If the city makes improvements in phases, tourism officials see a 25,000-square-foot pavilion on the east side of the park as a high priority.
About the same size of the old Point Mallard ice rink, the pavilion could serve a number of existing events and help attract new events, said Tami Reist, visitors bureau president.
Examples she listed included the NAIA softball and soccer tournaments, which could use the pavilion for banquets; Riverfest could move judging inside it and eliminate the judges tent, allowing more room for barbecue teams or band viewing; and large local companies could stage corporate events there.
Decatur Parks and Recreation, leaders of some local festivals and officials that plan bass tournaments all had input in making the revisions, Reist said.
Several bureau board members mentioned the Decatur General Hospital Foundation could move its annual Gala fundraiser to the pavilion and save thousands of dollars spent renting the 22,000-square-foot party tent and support equipment.
Trudy Grisham, foundation president, said Gala costs $35,000 to $40,000 just to stage the event and that’s excluding a catering kitchen, which the pavilion would have.
“We would love to have a place to have our event without having to put up a tent,” she said.
The first master plan for Ingalls was unveiled in 2003 and revised two years later to remove one of the lagoons for mooring boats.
The first fishing tournament occurred in November 2007, and Ingalls has hosted major fishing tournaments each year since.
Five areas
Completing the Vision focuses on five areas:
Area 1, where Riverfest occurs, would receive $856,000 in improvements, including sidewalks, five family pavilions, underground utilities, vendor connections and landscaping.
Area 2 is the dirt field on the west side of the lagoon. It shows $3.3 million in capital improvements, including $1.6 million for a museum building, $450,000 for a lighthouse tower and $50,000 for a fountain play area, larger than the Delano Park splash pad and more like Olympic Park in Atlanta.
Area 3 is the parking area above the boat launch. It calls for $34,000 in landscaping and irrigation.
Area 4 is the area fronting Alabama 20 from both ends of the park. It shows $145,000 in landscaping and irrigation.
Area 5 is the new pavilion area, which moved away from the waterfront so it doesn’t block the river view from the rest of the park.
Godwin’s plan for the large pavilion shows stone walls consistent with what the city is using for new park signage. It would feature walls that can swing up and make the pavilion an open-air facility when weather permits.
“This would be a structure that really gives Ingalls another way of being used,” he said.
Money to pay for improvements could come from the $2-per-night hotel room fee that generated $448,000 in fiscal 2009 and more than $3 million since implemented in 2001.
The city used that money to pay to create Ingalls Harbor, and Reist said that debt will be paid off at the end of fiscal 2010, freeing up money to start a new phase.
“If we take this in phases, we can make this happen,” Reist said.
By Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
A $2.7 million pavilion heads the list of revised plans for completing Ingalls Harbor.
Architect John Godwin unveiled the revisions, called “Completing the Vision,” to the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other city and tourism officials will begin reviewing plans this month. Money to begin implementing plans could become available this fall.
Overall, the plan shows more than $7 million in improvements and includes nine family-sized pavilions, paved plazas, a building for a museum and a landmark lighthouse tower where the Ingalls lagoon meets the Tennessee River.
If the city makes improvements in phases, tourism officials see a 25,000-square-foot pavilion on the east side of the park as a high priority.
About the same size of the old Point Mallard ice rink, the pavilion could serve a number of existing events and help attract new events, said Tami Reist, visitors bureau president.
Examples she listed included the NAIA softball and soccer tournaments, which could use the pavilion for banquets; Riverfest could move judging inside it and eliminate the judges tent, allowing more room for barbecue teams or band viewing; and large local companies could stage corporate events there.
Decatur Parks and Recreation, leaders of some local festivals and officials that plan bass tournaments all had input in making the revisions, Reist said.
Several bureau board members mentioned the Decatur General Hospital Foundation could move its annual Gala fundraiser to the pavilion and save thousands of dollars spent renting the 22,000-square-foot party tent and support equipment.
Trudy Grisham, foundation president, said Gala costs $35,000 to $40,000 just to stage the event and that’s excluding a catering kitchen, which the pavilion would have.
“We would love to have a place to have our event without having to put up a tent,” she said.
The first master plan for Ingalls was unveiled in 2003 and revised two years later to remove one of the lagoons for mooring boats.
The first fishing tournament occurred in November 2007, and Ingalls has hosted major fishing tournaments each year since.
Five areas
Completing the Vision focuses on five areas:
Area 1, where Riverfest occurs, would receive $856,000 in improvements, including sidewalks, five family pavilions, underground utilities, vendor connections and landscaping.
Area 2 is the dirt field on the west side of the lagoon. It shows $3.3 million in capital improvements, including $1.6 million for a museum building, $450,000 for a lighthouse tower and $50,000 for a fountain play area, larger than the Delano Park splash pad and more like Olympic Park in Atlanta.
Area 3 is the parking area above the boat launch. It calls for $34,000 in landscaping and irrigation.
Area 4 is the area fronting Alabama 20 from both ends of the park. It shows $145,000 in landscaping and irrigation.
Area 5 is the new pavilion area, which moved away from the waterfront so it doesn’t block the river view from the rest of the park.
Godwin’s plan for the large pavilion shows stone walls consistent with what the city is using for new park signage. It would feature walls that can swing up and make the pavilion an open-air facility when weather permits.
“This would be a structure that really gives Ingalls another way of being used,” he said.
Money to pay for improvements could come from the $2-per-night hotel room fee that generated $448,000 in fiscal 2009 and more than $3 million since implemented in 2001.
The city used that money to pay to create Ingalls Harbor, and Reist said that debt will be paid off at the end of fiscal 2010, freeing up money to start a new phase.
“If we take this in phases, we can make this happen,” Reist said.
Sunday liquor details unclear
Council to debate restaurant-only sales
By Evan Belanger, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
Decatur voters will decide April 13 whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales, but it remains unclear what restrictions those sales might face.
On Monday, using a 2005 local act, the City Council scheduled a special election to decide the issue.
If the voters approve Sunday sales, that act will allow the council to control Sunday sales by ordinance. But it also lets city officials wait until the vote is as few as 10 days away before holding a public hearing that will reveal those regulations to the public.
Regulations
Some city officials said Tuesday they were not sure yet what those regulations would include or exactly when they would be decided.
“I think if it’s going to pass, it would be helpful to have some regulations to make people feel more comfortable with it,” said Council President Greg Reeves.
Reeves said he expects the council will begin discussing possible regulations as early as next month. He proposed one regulation that would limit Sunday sales to restaurants, excluding businesses that sell alcohol for off-premise consumption.
“I think that the primary motivation for Sunday sales is to bring restaurants to Decatur who require this as a condition,” he wrote in the e-mail to The Daily.
That proposal is likely to face opposition. John Seymour, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, said Tuesday the chamber would not support a restaurant-only restriction because off-premise sales represent a significant portion of total alcohol sales in the city.
Meanwhile, most other elected officials said they had not had time to consider possible regulations.
Monday’s decision schedules the Sunday-sales referendum to coincide with another special election.
It came as a last-minute addition to the council agenda, and most councilmen said Tuesday they were not aware of the upcoming vote until hours before the meeting.
While Councilman Gary Hammon called for the referendum in November, the council never formally discussed the proposal.
City Attorney Herman Marks said Tuesday the council could not wait until its next meeting and still schedule the referendum for April 13 because of advertising requirements.
He also said the matter was not included in the council’s published agenda when it was released Friday because city officials did not know at the time when the election would be.
Pending approval from the U.S. Department of Justice, voters will also decide April 13 whether to switch from a council-mayor form of government to a council-manager government.
Retired city employee Gary Voketz, who collected 1,100 signatures to force that election, said Tuesday he was pleased it would coincide with the Sunday-sales vote.
“I think the more people that vote the better,” he said.
Councilman Billy Jackson complained Tuesday the Sunday-sales referendum is not as likely to pass in a special election and alleged city officials were proposing it because they thought it would fail.
Hammon, Mayor Don Stanford and Councilman Roger Anders have all said they morally oppose Sunday sales, but they support the public’s right to choose.
Hammon said he proposed the Sunday-sales referendum to save money by tying two elections together. The council has already set aside $75,000 to cover the expense.
By Evan Belanger, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
Decatur voters will decide April 13 whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales, but it remains unclear what restrictions those sales might face.
On Monday, using a 2005 local act, the City Council scheduled a special election to decide the issue.
If the voters approve Sunday sales, that act will allow the council to control Sunday sales by ordinance. But it also lets city officials wait until the vote is as few as 10 days away before holding a public hearing that will reveal those regulations to the public.
Regulations
Some city officials said Tuesday they were not sure yet what those regulations would include or exactly when they would be decided.
“I think if it’s going to pass, it would be helpful to have some regulations to make people feel more comfortable with it,” said Council President Greg Reeves.
Reeves said he expects the council will begin discussing possible regulations as early as next month. He proposed one regulation that would limit Sunday sales to restaurants, excluding businesses that sell alcohol for off-premise consumption.
“I think that the primary motivation for Sunday sales is to bring restaurants to Decatur who require this as a condition,” he wrote in the e-mail to The Daily.
That proposal is likely to face opposition. John Seymour, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, said Tuesday the chamber would not support a restaurant-only restriction because off-premise sales represent a significant portion of total alcohol sales in the city.
Meanwhile, most other elected officials said they had not had time to consider possible regulations.
Monday’s decision schedules the Sunday-sales referendum to coincide with another special election.
It came as a last-minute addition to the council agenda, and most councilmen said Tuesday they were not aware of the upcoming vote until hours before the meeting.
While Councilman Gary Hammon called for the referendum in November, the council never formally discussed the proposal.
City Attorney Herman Marks said Tuesday the council could not wait until its next meeting and still schedule the referendum for April 13 because of advertising requirements.
He also said the matter was not included in the council’s published agenda when it was released Friday because city officials did not know at the time when the election would be.
Pending approval from the U.S. Department of Justice, voters will also decide April 13 whether to switch from a council-mayor form of government to a council-manager government.
Retired city employee Gary Voketz, who collected 1,100 signatures to force that election, said Tuesday he was pleased it would coincide with the Sunday-sales vote.
“I think the more people that vote the better,” he said.
Councilman Billy Jackson complained Tuesday the Sunday-sales referendum is not as likely to pass in a special election and alleged city officials were proposing it because they thought it would fail.
Hammon, Mayor Don Stanford and Councilman Roger Anders have all said they morally oppose Sunday sales, but they support the public’s right to choose.
Hammon said he proposed the Sunday-sales referendum to save money by tying two elections together. The council has already set aside $75,000 to cover the expense.
Plans to complete harbor
$2.7M pavilion a priority in Ingalls proposal
By Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
A $2.7 million pavilion heads the list of revised plans for completing Ingalls Harbor.
Architect John Godwin unveiled the revisions, called “Completing the Vision,” to the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other city and tourism officials will begin reviewing plans this month. Money to begin implementing plans could become available this fall.
Overall, the plan shows more than $7 million in improvements and includes nine family-sized pavilions, paved plazas, a building for a museum and a landmark lighthouse tower where the Ingalls lagoon meets the Tennessee River.
If the city makes improvements in phases, tourism officials see a 25,000-square-foot pavilion on the east side of the park as a high priority.
About the same size of the old Point Mallard ice rink, the pavilion could serve a number of existing events and help attract new events, said Tami Reist, visitors bureau president.
Examples she listed included the NAIA softball and soccer tournaments, which could use the pavilion for banquets; Riverfest could move judging inside it and eliminate the judges tent, allowing more room for barbecue teams or band viewing; and large local companies could stage corporate events there.
Decatur Parks and Recreation, leaders of some local festivals and officials that plan bass tournaments all had input in making the revisions, Reist said.
Several bureau board members mentioned the Decatur General Hospital Foundation could move its annual Gala fundraiser to the pavilion and save thousands of dollars spent renting the 22,000-square-foot party tent and support equipment.
Trudy Grisham, foundation president, said Gala costs $35,000 to $40,000 just to stage the event and that’s excluding a catering kitchen, which the pavilion would have.
“We would love to have a place to have our event without having to put up a tent,” she said.
The first master plan for Ingalls was unveiled in 2003 and revised two years later to remove one of the lagoons for mooring boats.
The first fishing tournament occurred in November 2007, and Ingalls has hosted major fishing tournaments each year since.
Five areas
Completing the Vision focuses on five areas:
Area 1, where Riverfest occurs, would receive $856,000 in improvements, including sidewalks, five family pavilions, underground utilities, vendor connections and landscaping.
Area 2 is the dirt field on the west side of the lagoon. It shows $3.3 million in capital improvements, including $1.6 million for a museum building, $450,000 for a lighthouse tower and $50,000 for a fountain play area, larger than the Delano Park splash pad and more like Olympic Park in Atlanta.
Area 3 is the parking area above the boat launch. It calls for $34,000 in landscaping and irrigation.
Area 4 is the area fronting Alabama 20 from both ends of the park. It shows $145,000 in landscaping and irrigation.
Area 5 is the new pavilion area, which moved away from the waterfront so it doesn’t block the river view from the rest of the park.
Godwin’s plan for the large pavilion shows stone walls consistent with what the city is using for new park signage. It would feature walls that can swing up and make the pavilion an open-air facility when weather permits.
“This would be a structure that really gives Ingalls another way of being used,” he said.
Money to pay for improvements could come from the $2-per-night hotel room fee that generated $448,000 in fiscal 2009 and more than $3 million since implemented in 2001.
The city used that money to pay to create Ingalls Harbor, and Reist said that debt will be paid off at the end of fiscal 2010, freeing up money to start a new phase.
“If we take this in phases, we can make this happen,” Reist said.
By Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
A $2.7 million pavilion heads the list of revised plans for completing Ingalls Harbor.
Architect John Godwin unveiled the revisions, called “Completing the Vision,” to the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other city and tourism officials will begin reviewing plans this month. Money to begin implementing plans could become available this fall.
Overall, the plan shows more than $7 million in improvements and includes nine family-sized pavilions, paved plazas, a building for a museum and a landmark lighthouse tower where the Ingalls lagoon meets the Tennessee River.
If the city makes improvements in phases, tourism officials see a 25,000-square-foot pavilion on the east side of the park as a high priority.
About the same size of the old Point Mallard ice rink, the pavilion could serve a number of existing events and help attract new events, said Tami Reist, visitors bureau president.
Examples she listed included the NAIA softball and soccer tournaments, which could use the pavilion for banquets; Riverfest could move judging inside it and eliminate the judges tent, allowing more room for barbecue teams or band viewing; and large local companies could stage corporate events there.
Decatur Parks and Recreation, leaders of some local festivals and officials that plan bass tournaments all had input in making the revisions, Reist said.
Several bureau board members mentioned the Decatur General Hospital Foundation could move its annual Gala fundraiser to the pavilion and save thousands of dollars spent renting the 22,000-square-foot party tent and support equipment.
Trudy Grisham, foundation president, said Gala costs $35,000 to $40,000 just to stage the event and that’s excluding a catering kitchen, which the pavilion would have.
“We would love to have a place to have our event without having to put up a tent,” she said.
The first master plan for Ingalls was unveiled in 2003 and revised two years later to remove one of the lagoons for mooring boats.
The first fishing tournament occurred in November 2007, and Ingalls has hosted major fishing tournaments each year since.
Five areas
Completing the Vision focuses on five areas:
Area 1, where Riverfest occurs, would receive $856,000 in improvements, including sidewalks, five family pavilions, underground utilities, vendor connections and landscaping.
Area 2 is the dirt field on the west side of the lagoon. It shows $3.3 million in capital improvements, including $1.6 million for a museum building, $450,000 for a lighthouse tower and $50,000 for a fountain play area, larger than the Delano Park splash pad and more like Olympic Park in Atlanta.
Area 3 is the parking area above the boat launch. It calls for $34,000 in landscaping and irrigation.
Area 4 is the area fronting Alabama 20 from both ends of the park. It shows $145,000 in landscaping and irrigation.
Area 5 is the new pavilion area, which moved away from the waterfront so it doesn’t block the river view from the rest of the park.
Godwin’s plan for the large pavilion shows stone walls consistent with what the city is using for new park signage. It would feature walls that can swing up and make the pavilion an open-air facility when weather permits.
“This would be a structure that really gives Ingalls another way of being used,” he said.
Money to pay for improvements could come from the $2-per-night hotel room fee that generated $448,000 in fiscal 2009 and more than $3 million since implemented in 2001.
The city used that money to pay to create Ingalls Harbor, and Reist said that debt will be paid off at the end of fiscal 2010, freeing up money to start a new phase.
“If we take this in phases, we can make this happen,” Reist said.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A tourism balancing act
Upgrades are needed to lure visitors, parks officials say
By Catherine Godbey, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
Decatur Parks and Recreation puts tourism into a core philosophy: Help pay for parks by creating first-class facilities that attract tournaments and visitors who boost tax revenue.
But staying on top in the recreation industry is a constant battle.
If the city fails to upgrade the facilities, revenue generated through the occupancy tax will decrease, parks officials warn. And the occupancy tax generated through local hotels funds improvements.
“When you’re on top, everyone shoots for you. Jack Allen is on top right now but every new facility is trying to beat Jack Allen,” said Parks Assistant Director Tom Chappell. “Unless we add new fields and amenities, Jack Allen will become outdated.”
For now, the 11-field Jack Allen Recreational Complex reigns as one of the top facilities in the Southeast, but other local attractions, including the J. Gilmer Blackburn Aquatic Center, are struggling.
With no new features since 2005, the water park could suffer decreased attendance.
“The fear at Point Mallard is that we are losing customers because there hasn’t been a new attraction. The people are looking for new things to do, and they will go elsewhere to do them,” Chappell said.
Officials, citing the two new water slides in Cullman and the addition of a Lazy River in Nashville, said the threat to the aquatic center will increase this season.
“We used to pull people from those areas, but they may not come here this time. They may decide to stay closer to their homes,” said Parks Director Jeff Dunlap.
To keep Point Mallard competitive, the city needs to upgrade the 40-year-old park, officials said. Dunlap said the theme and water park associations recommend adding a new attraction every year.
“Most parks add a new ride every year. They may skip a year, but the ride better be twice as good,” said Marketing Coordinator Julianne Lowman.
If Point Mallard does not add a new attraction in the next two years, Dunlap fears the aquatic center’s attendance will fall, negatively impacting the park’s income.
Dunlap pointed to past administrations as proof of what inaction can cause.
“When Gilmer Blackburn constructed Point Mallard, man, we were on top of the world. Everybody talked about Decatur,” Dunlap said.
“Then we went forever and didn’t do anything and other cities passed us.”
In 1985, the city returned to the recreation elite with the building of the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex.
“Wilson Morgan was at the top as far as softball complexes. We were getting everything we wanted and then we didn’t do anything and started losing tournaments,” Dunlap said. “We can either do a little and get bypassed or we can continue to stay on top.”
Suggested additions to Decatur’s park system include speed slides and a Lazy River at Point Mallard, locker rooms and two soccer fields at Jack Allen, a new baseball and softball complex in Southwest Decatur and two courts at the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center.
Combined, the upgrades would cost approximately $18 million. Dunlap suggested going to the bond market to borrow funds and argued the additions would pay for themselves by attracting more visitors.
“Let someone else come into town and bring those tax dollars. The more people that come in from out of town, great, because that’s just providing more income and revenue to the city so the rest of us can benefit,” Lowman said.
Council President Greg Reeves, who is parks and recreation liaison, acknowledged the impact of sports in Decatur, but questioned whether investing millions of dollars into a single attraction is responsible.
“There is no question the work started with Gilmer Blackburn and extending to Ingalls Harbor and Jack Allen has proven to be a wise investment for the city,” Reeves said. “With the economy the way it is, we need to concentrate on the fundamentals and making sure everything is in good condition.”
While obligating $3 million for a Lazy River is unlikely, spending $100,000 for two tennis courts at Jimmy Johns that could bring in more tournaments is more manageable, Reeves said.
“All of the expenses we’re asking for, it is not a question of how much it costs to do it, it becomes a question of how much does it cost the city if we don’t do it,” Chappell said.
By Catherine Godbey, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
Decatur Parks and Recreation puts tourism into a core philosophy: Help pay for parks by creating first-class facilities that attract tournaments and visitors who boost tax revenue.
But staying on top in the recreation industry is a constant battle.
If the city fails to upgrade the facilities, revenue generated through the occupancy tax will decrease, parks officials warn. And the occupancy tax generated through local hotels funds improvements.
“When you’re on top, everyone shoots for you. Jack Allen is on top right now but every new facility is trying to beat Jack Allen,” said Parks Assistant Director Tom Chappell. “Unless we add new fields and amenities, Jack Allen will become outdated.”
For now, the 11-field Jack Allen Recreational Complex reigns as one of the top facilities in the Southeast, but other local attractions, including the J. Gilmer Blackburn Aquatic Center, are struggling.
With no new features since 2005, the water park could suffer decreased attendance.
“The fear at Point Mallard is that we are losing customers because there hasn’t been a new attraction. The people are looking for new things to do, and they will go elsewhere to do them,” Chappell said.
Officials, citing the two new water slides in Cullman and the addition of a Lazy River in Nashville, said the threat to the aquatic center will increase this season.
“We used to pull people from those areas, but they may not come here this time. They may decide to stay closer to their homes,” said Parks Director Jeff Dunlap.
To keep Point Mallard competitive, the city needs to upgrade the 40-year-old park, officials said. Dunlap said the theme and water park associations recommend adding a new attraction every year.
“Most parks add a new ride every year. They may skip a year, but the ride better be twice as good,” said Marketing Coordinator Julianne Lowman.
If Point Mallard does not add a new attraction in the next two years, Dunlap fears the aquatic center’s attendance will fall, negatively impacting the park’s income.
Dunlap pointed to past administrations as proof of what inaction can cause.
“When Gilmer Blackburn constructed Point Mallard, man, we were on top of the world. Everybody talked about Decatur,” Dunlap said.
“Then we went forever and didn’t do anything and other cities passed us.”
In 1985, the city returned to the recreation elite with the building of the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex.
“Wilson Morgan was at the top as far as softball complexes. We were getting everything we wanted and then we didn’t do anything and started losing tournaments,” Dunlap said. “We can either do a little and get bypassed or we can continue to stay on top.”
Suggested additions to Decatur’s park system include speed slides and a Lazy River at Point Mallard, locker rooms and two soccer fields at Jack Allen, a new baseball and softball complex in Southwest Decatur and two courts at the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center.
Combined, the upgrades would cost approximately $18 million. Dunlap suggested going to the bond market to borrow funds and argued the additions would pay for themselves by attracting more visitors.
“Let someone else come into town and bring those tax dollars. The more people that come in from out of town, great, because that’s just providing more income and revenue to the city so the rest of us can benefit,” Lowman said.
Council President Greg Reeves, who is parks and recreation liaison, acknowledged the impact of sports in Decatur, but questioned whether investing millions of dollars into a single attraction is responsible.
“There is no question the work started with Gilmer Blackburn and extending to Ingalls Harbor and Jack Allen has proven to be a wise investment for the city,” Reeves said. “With the economy the way it is, we need to concentrate on the fundamentals and making sure everything is in good condition.”
While obligating $3 million for a Lazy River is unlikely, spending $100,000 for two tennis courts at Jimmy Johns that could bring in more tournaments is more manageable, Reeves said.
“All of the expenses we’re asking for, it is not a question of how much it costs to do it, it becomes a question of how much does it cost the city if we don’t do it,” Chappell said.
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