JACKSON PANEL TOUTS TOURISM

JACKSON -- Jackson's newly created Tourism Committee made its first report to the Jackson Board of Aldermen on Tuesday.

The committee was established July 1 by the city and the Jackson Chamber of Commerce to assist in promoting and sponsoring tourist attractions in the Jackson area.

The city is initially funding the committee with a two-year "seed" grant of $20,000 ($10,000 per year) to help it get started. In return, the city expects the business community to make donations to the tourism committee that will match the yearly grants. In addition, the committee must make quarterly reports to the board of aldermen on its operations.

The chairman of the Tourism Committee is Steve Elefson, who is also vice president of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. Other committee members are: Max Prill (who is secretary-treasurer), Kirk Williams, Carlton Meyer and Mary Strong.

Elefson made the committee's first report to the board of aldermen on Tuesday as he submitted the proposed 1993-94 budget for approval.

The tourism committee's first-year operating budget of $10,088 includes the $10,000 grant from the city and $88 that was contributed to the tourism committee by those attending the annual chamber of commerce banquet.

Elefson said about 32 percent of the budget will be spent on promoting Jackson to people who live elsewhere, aiming to make them aware of tourist attractions and special activities going on in Jackson.

He said 27 percent of the budget will help promote or sponsor on-going events in Jackson, while 18 percent will be used to promote or assist in sponsoring local, one-time events and activities and promote tourist attractions in Jackson to passing motorists.

Elefson said 22 percent of the budget will go toward administrative expenses. "At the onset, the administrative expenses may seem a little high, but it is actually a very small amount when you look at it on a monthly basis," he said.

The proposed budget includes $2,150 for 20 display racks that will contain tourist attraction brochures, in addition to the purchase of tourism-related give-away items.

The committee proposes spending $2,538 on advertising and sponsorship of special activities, including a booth at the SEMO District Fair and tourist ads in the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad newspaper, Riverside Heritage Calender, and the Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive brochure.

In addition, the committee proposes giving financial assistance to the following special events: Good Old Days (October), $100; Christmas Parade Float sponsorship, $150; July 4th Picnic, $400; Civil War Reenactment, $100; Brookside Memorial Park activities, $100. Another $323 has been set aside for non-allocated local support.

Printing expenses include $600 for a calender of tourism events, and $1,000 for printing copies of a map showing Jackson tourist attractions.

The committee has budgeted $800 for miscellaneous expenses for local conventions.

Administrative expenses include $750 for postage, $200 for telephone service and $1,200 for personnel. The budget contains $800 for expenses related to travel shows.

The proposed budget will be discussed by the board at next week's study session and placed on the agenda of the board's Sept. 20 meeting.