HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 06-30-2009
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, June 30, 2009
Minutes of a Joint Study Session meeting of the TOWN BOARD AND
ESTES PARK LOCAL MARKETING DISTRICT of the Town of Estes
Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at Town Hall in Room
130 in said Town of Estes Park on the 30th day of June, 2009.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Levine, Trustees
Blackhurst, Eisenlauer, Ericson, Homeier and Miller
LMD Board Chair Ken Larson, Board Members Corey Blackman, Scott
Webermeier, Kathy Palmeri, Bill Almond, Lee Lasson, and
Elizabeth Blanchard
Also Attending: Town Administrator Halburnt, Deputy Town Administrator
Richardson, Town Attorney White, Director Pickering, Town
Clerk Williamson and Scott Hannah/Hannah Marketing
Absent: Trustee Blackhurst
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Trustee Blackhurst recused
himself from the discussion because of a conflict of interest.
CVB OPERATIONS.
LMD Chair Larson stated a revised proposal for CVB functions to be transferred to the
LMD has been developed to address the concerns raised by the Town Board, i.e. LMD
should focus on advertising, public relations and slow down the process. The proposal
eliminates taking over the Visitors Center and the call center.
Scott Hannah/Hannah Marketing stated the LMD Board unanimously recommends the
responsibility of communications, group sales and marketing, visitor’s guide and
stakeholder sales be transferred to the LMD. Communications would include the
traditional functions of marketing, advertising, public relations and the website used to
attract prospective visitors and groups. Group sales have been considered a subset of
marketing and beyond marketing the conference center has received minimal funding in
the past. This area has a greatest opportunity for growth. The Visitors Guide has been
and continues to be a critical marketing communication vehicle that should reflect the
overall marketing strategies, branding and communications objectives of the LMD.
Stakeholder sales directly support the marketing of Estes Park and should be shared
with the Town to fund the operating costs of the Visitors Center. All four of the
marketing areas should be transferred to the LMD because they are the core marketing
functions that attract visitors to the Estes Park area, consolidate accountability under
the LMD, and can be best coordinated by one unified organization.
Discussion followed amongst the Board and has been summarized: questioned the
management of Town employees by the LMD; the LMD could hire the CVB staff to
perform the marketing/advertising tasks through a contract with the Town and thereby
leave the management of the employees to the Town; a one year plan should be
developed with the four core functions taken over during the next few years; a portion of
the marketing money should be used to address the spending of local dollars outside
the valley; cautioned the LMD to slow down and concentrate on marketing/advertising,
concerns raised with the timing of Town staff transferring to the LMD and with the timing
of CVB functions being assumed by the LMD; and questioned whether it was vital to the
LMD operations to have the CVB employees managed by the LMD.
Administrator Halburnt reiterated it would be difficult to have Town staff managed by a
separate entity. She stated the current CVB staff could be reassigned to the LMD with
the Town transferring funds to the LMD for staff salaries. She recommended an
Town Board Study Session – June 30, 2009 – Page 2
agreement be established between the Town and the LMD for the transfer of the
employees with a clause guaranteeing the employees a minimum of one year
employment. The LMD could be added to the health benefit package of the Town;
however, retaining retirement benefits has not been investigated.
The LMD Board contends the employees are a vital component to the success of the
LMD operating plan and the separation of the two could lead to undefined leadership.
The main focus should be who owns the results and not how the results are obtained.
The LMD Board expressed concern that the employees may lose benefits if transferred
to the LMD.
After further discussion the Board reached consensus that the CVB staff in charge of
the four core functions could be transferred to the LMD with the Town funding salaries.
Staff would review the current Town benefit package to ensure the employees would
maintain full benefits if transferred to the LMD. Trustees Homeier reiterated his
concerns with the management of the employees by the LMD and suggested the LMD
hire the CVB staff to carry out the marketing/advertising plan. Trustee Ericson voiced
concerns with turning over the CVB to the LMD. He suggested the LMD prepare a
marketing plan using the CVB staff for the first year and enter into discussions regarding
employees in the future.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 5:35 p.m.
Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk