Plans for a new event in Clarion County were unveiled at Tuesday’s Clarion County commissioners meeting while the dust from a prior tourist promotion was stirred up again.
Mike Vereb outlined the plans for WoodFest 2024, a countywide celebration of the area’s lumber heritage. He said he hoped this event would grow into “something substantial.”
The event will take place from March 16-24 to coincide with International Forests Day on March 21.
He said there are 40 wood-related businesses in the county and he hoped the events would entice visitors from “Cleveburgh”, or the Cleveland-Pittsburgh market.
Vereb said he hopes to have events like art and vendor shows, chainsaw carving and lumberjack competitions, wood smoke BBQ contests, 5K and cycling races, concerts, tours and a visit from the Pennsylvania WoodMobile.
Additional information can be found at the website www.WoodFest2024.com
Meanwhile, the fallout from the dissolution of the five county Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Tourist Promotion Agency (PAGO) continued during Tuesday’s commissioners meeting.
After the county was informed PAGO would no longer represent the county, it was determined that the Clarion County Economic Development Corp. would be the county’s new tourist promotion agency.
And a contract was awarded to Bull Moose Marketing of Meadville to develop a marketing plan for the county’s tourism effort.
That plan has not been developed however and that led to questions from the commissioners Tuesday when a 2% increase in the county’s room tax was proposed.
“We have not seen a plan at this time,” Tharan said. “I would rather wait three months and know what the plan is going to be.”
The county currently collects a 3% percent tax on each motel room rented in the county. That money is then turned over to the hotel tax committee and is disbursed to various organizations in the county.
The additional room tax would add $200,000 in revenue making the total available about $500,000.
“That’s a pile of money,” said Tharan. He said there is about $225,000 in escrow that the county hopes to recover from PAGO.
Mike Renninger, part owner of the Microtel Hotel in Clarion, said the increase would not raise substantial funds at this time of the year when rentals are slow.
The motion to raise the room tax was tabled until the commissioners Dec. 27 meeting.
Tharan also questioned the continuation of a billboard rental and an agreement with Explore Clarion to promote tourism. He said those agreements haven’t been addressed by the hotel tax committee.
Committee member Kristi Amato said the committee had not addressed those issues pending settlement of the escrow account with PAGO.
The commissioners did approve the printing and distribution of promotional rack cards for Foxburg and Exit 62.