HomeMy Public PortalAbout04-05-2021 Minutes Tourism Board Regular Meeting
101 E. Orange St., PO Box 429, Hillsborough, NC 27278
www.hillsboroughnc.gov | @HillsboroughGov
www.visithillsboroughnc.com | @HillsboroughNC
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Minutes
Hillsborough Tourism Board
Remote regular meeting
5:30 p.m. April 5, 2021
Virtual meeting via YouTube Live
Town of Hillsborough YouTube channel
Present: Chair Matt Hughes, Mark Bateman, Nic Beery,
Barney Caton, Tommy Stann and Cathleen Turner
Absent: Barry Hupp and Vice Chair Kim Tesoro
Staff: Economic Development Planner Shannan Campbell
1. Call to order
Chair and Commissioner Matt Hughes called the meeting to order at 5:36 p.m. with five members present.
2. Agenda changes and approval
Hughes added Item 4E regarding commenting on the Board of Commissioners’ upcoming sound ordinance
amendment.
Motion: Member Barney Caton moved to approve the agenda as amended. Member Cathleen Turner
seconded.
Vote: 5-0. Ayes: Members Mark Bateman, Caton, Hughes, Tommy Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
3. Minutes review and approval
Minutes from regular meeting on March 1, 2021
Motion: Caton moved to approve the minutes as presented. Stann seconded.
Vote: 5-0. Ayes: Bateman, Caton, Hughes, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
4. Discussion/action items
A. Board applicant interview: Elise Tyler
Tyler is the general manager of The Colonial Inn. She expressed a desire to serve on the Tourism Board to
support tourism and vitality in Hillsborough.
The board discussed Tyler’s request for the board to meet at another time. She indicated hesitation with
being able to meet at 5:30pm on a Monday. She indicated that she is moving to Hillsborough soon and that
might help.
The board discussed deferring any recommendation of appointment.
B. Contract scopes of work responses for FY22
Motion: Turner moved to approve the contracts for FY22 under the submitted scope of work. Caton
seconded.
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Vote: 5-0. Ayes: Bateman, Caton, Hughes, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
C. Grant cycle schedule
Motion: Bateman moved to approve the schedule as presented. Turner seconded.
Vote: 5-0. Ayes: Bateman, Caton, Hughes, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
D. Vacant Tourism Board and Tourism Development Authority positions
Bateman noted that the Board of Commissioners did not approved his appointment to the Tourism Board seat
on the Tourism Development Authority. He said Vice Chair Kim Tesoro is interested in serving in that position.
Several board members said it was too soon to consider Tyler for the Tourism Development Authority position
because she had not been appointed to the Tourism Board yet and has no experience on the Tourism Board.
Campbell clarified some confusion over the requirements to serve on the Tourism Development Authority and
Tourism Board and the seats available for both. She indicated that the Tourism Development Authority has
three seats. The seats are designated for 1. a member of the Board of Commissioners 2. someone who
collects the occupancy tax and 3. a Tourism Board member. She added that Dani Black sits in the seat on the
Tourism Development Authority designated for someone who collects the occupancy tax because she owns
an Airbnb property.
She said that the Tourism Board currently has one vacant seat for a food and beverage tax collector. This can
be a business owner or employee of any business that collects the food and beverage tax.
Member Nic Beery joined the meeting.
Motion: Bateman moved to table the recommendation for a new Tourism Board member until May.
Caton seconded.
Vote: 6-0. Ayes: Bateman, Beery, Caton, Hughes, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
Member: Stann moved to recommend that the Board of Commissioners appoint Tesoro to serve on the
Tourism Development Authority as the Tourism Board representative. Bateman seconded.
Vote: 6-0. Ayes: Bateman, Beery, Caton, Hughes, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
E. Added item – noise ordinance
Campbell reviewed that in early 2020 this board sent a letter to the Board of Commissioners to express
concern with possible further noise restrictions that could affect the vitality of downtown.
Campbell said Tesoro could not attend this meeting but had requested that the board consider resending the
last year’s letter because the Board of Commissioners planned to revisit its discussion of a noise ordinance
amendment. Campbell suggested the board not only discuss resending the letter but also updating it.
Bateman shared his concerns with the possible changes to the noise ordinance.
Board members said the noise ordinance needed to be enforced in an objective way.
Motion: Turner moved to ask Campbell to refresh the letter and send to the board members for
comments before submitting to the Board of Commissioners. Caton seconded.
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Vote: 6-0. Ayes: Bateman, Beery, Caton, Hughes, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
5. Monthly reports and comments
A. Staff report and Orange County Visitors Bureau updates
Campbell reported:
• Visitors map is being updated.
• A professional photographer was hired to take marketing photos during the March Last Fridays event.
• Some Visitors Center marketing funds are being spent to refresh the WRAL Spotlight campaign.
• Inquiries are coming in for late summer and fall events.
• The revenue from the prepared food and beverage tax was down $5,000 for January compared with
January 2020.
Sarah Parris, executive director of the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, which operates the Visitors Center,
said she is seeing more visitors at the Visitors Center. She hopes to have the Visitors Center open daily later
this year.
Campbell added that she and Parris have been working on changing the messaging from “Find Your Calm in
Hillsborough” toward a slogan that tells potential visitors that Hillsborough is the day trip or weekend
getaway that they’ve been waiting for.
Parris added that May 8 is Revolutionary War Living History Day and there will be a Hillsborough in Bloom
event with the Hillsborough Arts Council that will coincide with the Hillsborough Garden Club’s spring tours.
B. Board comments and updates
Caton noted it is not too late to sign up for the Visit NC 365 Conference. Campbell added that it is free to
register and there are usually good speakers.
6. Adjournment
Motion: Caton moved to adjourn at 7:08 p.m. Beery seconded.
Vote: 6-0. Ayes: Bateman, Beery, Caton, Hughes, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
Respectfully submitted,
Shannan Campbell
Economic Development Planner
Staff support to the Hillsborough Tourism Board
Approved: 5/3/2021