HomeMy Public PortalAbout10-04-2021 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. Oct. 4, 2021
Virtual meeting via YouTube Live
Town of Hillsborough YouTube channel
Present: Chair Matt Hughes, Vice Chair Kim Tesoro, Mark
Bateman, Barney Caton, Barry Hupp, Tommy Stann
and Cathleen Turner
Staff: Economic Development Planner Shannan Campbell
1. Call to order
Chair and Commissioner Matt Hughes called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. with four members present.
2. Agenda changes and approval
No changes.
Motion: Member Kim Tesoro moved to approve the agenda as presented. Member Barney Caton
seconded.
Vote: 4-0. Ayes: Members Caton, Hughes, Tesoro and Cathleen Turner. Nays: None.
3. Minutes review and approval
Minutes from regular meeting on Aug. 2, 2021
Motion: Caton moved to approve the minutes as presented. Turner seconded.
Vote: 4-0. Ayes: Members Caton, Hughes, Tesoro and Turner. Nays: None.
Member Tommy Stann joined the meeting at 5:34 p.m.
4. Discussion and decision items
A. Town Special Project and Partnership Request: Burwell School Interpretive Sign
Public Space and Sustainability Manager Stephanie Trueblood said there is a signage committee that helps
craft the language for the Town’s interpretive sign program. The sign for the Burwell School Historic Site is
timely because it is the 200th anniversary of the school. She is requesting financial assistance for the design
and fabrication. The total cost for the sign is $3,816.
Trueblood eventually would like to work with the tourism program to create a brochure guiding people to all
of the interpretive signs. The location for this sign will be on Churton Street next to the sidewalk. It is designed
to draw people into the site and raise awareness that the site is open to visitors. For COVID-19 it offers a nice
opportunity to learn about the site without necessarily coming in, or learning about the site when it’s closed
and coming back to tour it.
It was noted that the application included all the information the board needed.
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Campbell said there is $10,000 in the Special Projects budget. The three requests the board was receiving at
this meeting tonight total slightly more than $13,000. She suggested the board may want to hear all the
requests and then decide on the expenditures and whether or not the board wanted to move money from
fund balance to cover all of the projects.
Member Mark Bateman joined the meeting at 5:43 p.m.
B. Chamber Special Project and Partnership Request: Hillsborough Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting 2021
Sponsorship
Campbell reviewed that the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce has traditionally organized
the parade. The chamber feels that the parade has become more of a tourist event than a promotion of the
local businesses.
Tesoro, who is the chamber’s chief executive officer, said the parade brings lots of people to town. It takes
place on Sunday afternoons at the request of business owners. It takes a lot of chamber staff time and ends
up costing the chamber significant funds to put on.
Campbell said the holiday parade request is just under $5,000. The tree lighting event is under $5,000. The
total for the two events is $9,561.
Turner asked why the parade and tree lighting are considered two events.
Tesoro said the tree lighting grew a lot over the last five years. It was an underattended activity but now it has
separate entertainment, food trucks, and has really evolved.
Turner asked for more details about the event.
Tesoro said the tree lighting is meant to help gather people downtown so that they then go out to dinner
after. It also provides a place for parents to pick up their children after the parade and staggers the flow of
parade goers into nearby businesses. The tree lighting requires additional lighting and a sound system.
There’s a community sing-along, the mayor conducts a countdown with and then the switch is flipped to light
the tree. There are photos with Santa. Tesoro said it used to be about 20 people. In 2019 there were well over
100 people. The activity lasts about 20-30 minutes.
Turner said she supports the parade but the cost was eye-opening, particularly the 150 staff hours. She asked
about marketing. Tesoro listed several ways the Chamber markets the event.
When asked, Tesoro said many volunteers help with the line-up of the parade.
Member Barry Hupp joined the meeting at 5:53 p.m.
Campbell said can check on costs associated with the Chapel Hill and Mebane parades for comparison, but the
numbers did not seem out of line for a parade.
Bateman said no other event brings more people to Hillsborough, except maybe Hog Day. He has volunteered
before and it takes a lot of hours, including processing the parade applications and communicating with the
parade participants. He believes the parade increases tax revenue.
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Hughes suggested financially supporting both events. He said the parade is unifying and draws a diverse
crowd.
Tesoro said the chamber is parade headquarters in the fourth quarter. It might be handled differently if it was
part of a Parks and Rec Department or produced by a volunteer organization like the Jaycees. The chamber is
shouldering many hours. Planning started in June. As she has said before, Tesoro said that she and the
chamber would not mind passing off the parade and tree lighting organizational duties to another
organization.
Motion: Turner moved to approve fully funding the interpretive sign. Caton seconded.
Campbell called the roll for voting.
Vote: 7-0. Ayes: Members Bateman, Caton, Hupp, Hughes, Stann, Tesoro and Turner. Nays: None.
It was noted that Tesoro would abstain from the following votes due to conflict of interest with the chamber.
Motion: Caton moved to fully fund the Holiday Parade as requested. Stann seconded.
Campbell called the roll for voting.
Vote: 6-0. Ayes: Bateman, Caton, Hughes, Hupp, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
Motion: Hupp moved to fund the tree lighting at the amount requested. Bateman seconded.
Campbell called the roll for voting.
Vote: 6-0. Ayes: Bateman, Caton, Hughes, Hupp, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
Campbell indicated that in order to fund the three projects the board needed to vote to move $3,377 from
Fund Balance into Special Projects and Partnerships.
Motion: Turner moved to move $3,377 from Fund Balance into Special Projects and Partnerships. Caton
seconded.
Campbell roll called the vote:
Vote: 6-0. Ayes: Bateman, Caton, Hughes, Hupp, Stann and Turner. Nays: None.
C. Burwell School Historic Site 501(c) 3 status update
Campbell reviewed that she had previously been notified that the Historic Hillsborough Commission had lost
its 501(c) 3 status due to the illegal activity of its now-fired director and subsequent financial issues that
needed to be cleaned up as a result.
Brooks Graebner, chair of the commission, introduced Sharon Ringwalt. Ringwalt will be the new chair of the
Historic Hillsborough Commission after the October meeting. She will be making the first quarter report next
month.
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Graebner said the commission had filed Form 1023, which is the application for tax exempt status, on Sept. 3.
The Internal Revenue Service is processing the application. The commission believes its tax exempt status will
be restored. They’ve learned that the status will be made retroactive to cover the time during which the
status has been revoked. All the contractual obligations with the Tourism Board are being met. The operations
of the Burwell School Historic Site are continuing despite the setback. The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough is
serving as the fiscal agent to receive grants on behalf of the commission from Orange County.
Hughes said the very detailed timeline and other documents were helpful in understanding.
Campbell said she had reviewed the situation with Town Attorney Bob Hornik. She reported the town
attorney had said if the Historic Hillsborough Commission has not dissolved then the board could continue to
contract with them. To break the contract, the town would have to give the commission 90 days of and then
the other commission would have 30 days to correct the issue. The legal opinion is that the site was still open
and giving tours in the first quarter, so the Tourism Board should honor the invoice and pay the commission
for the first quarter of the contract at a minimum. If the board wants to continue to contract with the Historic
Hillsborough Commission, then it can continue. If not, then the Tourism Board would have to follow the terms
of the contract for termination.
No action was taken at this time.
5. Monthly reports and comments
A. Tourism staff report and Orange County Visitors Bureau updates
Campbell noted:
• Some events were canceled in September.
• The Visitors Center has hired a new communications person.
• The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau was running some clever ads with a nod to current
times.
• An effort is underway to collaborate within Orange County for some marketing in January/Feb.
• Fiscal Year 2020-2021 finished strong. The revenue for July and August was strong.
Sarah Sandbeck, executive director for The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, added the Visitors Center was
organizing a Halloween-themed tour. She noted Caton was also leading spooky tours.
B. Board comments and updates
Campbell noted there are two vacancies on the board. One for an at-large seat and one for a F&B tax collector
(restaurant or pub).
6. Adjournment
Motion: Hughes adjourned the meeting at 6:36 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Shannan Campbell
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Economic Development Planner
Staff support to the Hillsborough Tourism Board
Approved: Nov. 1, 2021