Revelstoke city council has given final approval for 10 tourism infrastructure projects. Most of the infrastructure projects are not being revealed for the first time, and funding for several of them top-up money for ongoing projects.
Funding for the 2011 tourism infrastructure projects is provided through 'hotel tax' funding, and is not considered to be municipal taxpayer money. In a nutshell, when Revelstoke opted to become a resort municipality, a new tax was added to the price of hotel and motel room rentals. That tax is then kicked back to the community and is earmarked for tourism infrastructure projects.
Members of the Tourism Infrastructure Advisory Committee are mostly tourism industry representatives who seek projects they feel will benefit tourism in Revelstoke. Council typically rubber-stamps their recommendations. The funding is not considered to be municipal 'taxpayer' dollars because it cannot be diverted to pay for other programs.
Here are the projects approved at the July 12 council meeting, as recommended by the Tourism Infrastructure Advisory Committee at their June 30 meeting:
Boulder Mountain Cabin, $20,000 - For reclamation and landscaping work at the snowmobile facility.
Visitor Information Centre, $40,000 - To pay for architectural drawings and design for the new visitor centre. A committee working on the project has shortlisted nine applicants down to two finalists, and are scheduled to meet again on July 13 to discuss it further. This project continues to be the subject of behind-closed-door discussions, which we explored in this June 23 story.
Public Art, $96,181 - This is for a Mount Revelstoke Gateway Project and a sternwheeler project for the entrance plaza at the Revelstoke Aquatic Centre.
Revelstoke Museum improvements, $20,000 - For a renovation project.
Bicycle and pedestrian trails, $289,141 - This will be used for a variety of bicycle projects. One will seek to connect Revelstoke Mountain Resort, central Revelstoke and the Mount Macpherson trails with a bike path network. Another is for more family and beginner trails at Mount Macpherson. A third project will see work done on Illecillewaet Pedestrian Bridge trails. See the July 20 issue of the Revelstoke Times Review for more on these trail projects.
Nordic Ski Day Lodge, $15,000 - Funding to create two new trails that will allow for 1 and two-kilometre loops that can be used for regional and provincial races.
Snowmobile Welcome Centre, $40,000 - For design and drawings of a new snowmobiling facility.
Highway landscaping, $30,181 - To create new, more appealing landscaping on the Trans-Canada in the vicinity of the hotels across from Revelstoke McDonald's.
Ski Hill Shuttle buses, $20,000 - The funding will be used to install new ski racks on the buses.
Golf Course Improvements, $105,000 - The money will be used to improve the irrigation system, including installing a computerized operating system.