Tourism board awards 26 grants totaling $450K

Crafton said board members were so impressed with the applications that the board gave out the entire $450,000 that had been budgeted for the entire year to put that money in play now rather than with follow up grant cycle later.

Last week, when presentations were made to the board, Crafton announced $350,000 would be awarded during the spring cycle of grants with $100,000 held back to be awarded in August.

“We looked at your applications, and they were fantastic. They were really good applications” and decided to award its entire budget with a focus on generating local tourist dollars to boost the local economy, Crafton told the applicants.

With anticipation that the county’s innkeeper’s tax collections will continue to sustain funding, Crafton said JCBT will be going back to County Council to ask for additional funds to be allocated in August to support those projects.

Two grants awarded had already been pledged last year by JCBT — both to Visit Madison Inc. including $75,000 as a contribution toward the purchase of trolleys and $7,500 towards a visitor profile study.

Friends of Ohio Theatre was the largest grant recipient from new applications this year with $50,000, which was half of the $100,000 requested. “Ohio Theatre is a pillar, and a main thoroughfare, and we think vitally important as an asset,” Crafton said.

Madison Area Arts Association (MAAA) was awarded $40,000, which was less than the $95,000 requested. Last year, MAAA received $60,000 from JCBT ($50,000 in the spring cycle, $10,000 in the fall cycle).

There was also $40,000 awarded to the city of Madison for wayfinding signage to coordinate with the work that is beginning later this year on Main Street. The project is collaborating with a Madison Main Street project for directional signage to Madison businesses on the west end of Madison. JCBT awarded $4,000 to Madison Main Street for that project, which was less than the $8,500 requested.

Unbroken Circle, a musical festival scheduled for Sept. 4-6 in Bicentennial Park, was the recipient of $30,000, which was less than the $100,000 requested.

A total of $25,000 was given to the city of Madison for barricades for crowd protection during festival events including the purchase of safety bollard posts that can be placed and removed more easily than the concrete barriers currently used. The city’s request had been $75,000.

Madison Music Movement was granted $22,000, which was less than the $75,000 that was requested.

CASA of Jefferson County, which during Memorial Day weekend is hosting its inaugural Rumble on the River Car Show, was awarded $18,000 just slightly less than the $18,389 requested.

The city of Madison also received the $15,000 that it had requested for updating the restrooms at Bicentennial Park which Crafton said is infrastructure that’s “vitality important.”

MadHop music festival was granted $15,000, which was less than the $40,000 that had been requested. Madison Rodeo was awarded $12,000, less than the $75,000 requested. Jefferson County Historical Society was approved for $12,000, less than the $31,000 requested. Historic Madison Inc. was given $11,000, less than the $35,000 requested.

Four of the county’s major festival events were each awarded $10,000 — Madison Regatta, Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art, Ribberfest BBQ and Blues and Nights Before Christmas Candlelight Tour of Homes. Both Chautauqua and Ribberfest received exactly what they had requested while Regatta had asked for $35,000 and the Tour of Homes had asked for $15,000. Also, Madison Farmers Market was awarded $10,000, which was less than the $25,520 requested.

Kindred Folk Society was awarded $7,000, less than the $25,000 requested.

Madison Riverfront Development Committee received $5,000 for marketing its UTV/Golf Cart Poker Run to be held Oct. 4 this year. The request had been $10,000.

Historic Eleutherian College was awarded $4,000, half of the $8,000 requested for events and marketing.

Incomparable Radio Theater podcast received $3,000 for performances at the Ohio Theatre, less than the $5,950 requested.

There was $2,500 given for the Juneteenth Celebration to be held June 21-23, less than the $5,750 requested.

The Salvation Army of Madison received $2,000 to support its Rockin’ on the River Car Show to be held Aug. 30. The request had been $5,000.

There were two applications that weren’t funded. Eagle Cotton Mill Fairfield Inn and Suites had requested $14,550 to purchase a golf cart to facilitate movement throughout the city for conference guests and $4,039 to install an Earth Cam on the roof of the hotel.

VMI Executive Director Andrew Forrester said the increase in grant applications is an indication that “there are a lot cool things happening in Madison and Jefferson County, and let’s take a minute to just say how cool it is that there are so many organizations that see tourism as an important aspect to what they are doing.”

In other business, JCBT treasurer David Bramer said innkeeper’s tax collections for February totaled $55,780.20, an increase over last February when $35,668 was collected.

The innkeeper’s tax in Jefferson County increased from 5% to 8% on Jan. 1 — the first increase since 1987. However, even while factoring in that 3% increase, collections were still higher. Innkeeper’s tax collection in January was $39,962.92, up from $29,268.29 last year. For the year, innkeeper’s tax collections total $95,743.12 for the first two months.