||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
San Juan County has established a tourism facilities program, funded by a portion of the revenue collected under the State Lodging Tax excise statutes and is seeking proposals from qualified entities interested in:
- Funding single project proposals concerned with acquiring, improving, or developing facilities for enhancing the tourism experience; and/or
- Matching grants for operating tourism facilities that enhance the tourism experience; and/or
- Matching grants for events that draw tourists; and/or
- Projects that carry out the goals of the San Juan County LTAC Tourism Master Plan.
The expected outcome of the funded activities is to increase economic activity in San Juan County in 2023 and beyond through the overnight lodging of tourists, through tourism-related expenditures, and construction of tourism-related facilities.
Program categories are funded through either the Promotional or the Facilities portions of LTAC funds. Program categories are:
- Emphasis on tourism facilities capital program (only for facilities in which the County has an ownership portion)
- Construction
- Improvement
- Renovation
- Matching grants for tourism events and festivals designed to attract tourists
- Matching grants for operation of existing eligible tourism facilities that meet the criteria of this RFP and the long-range tourism plan (including, but not limited to historic museums, performing arts, visual arts)
- Special investments that help to accomplish objectives of the LTAC Master Plan (available online at: http://sanjuanco.com/614/Lodging-Tax-Advisory-Committee).
Proposals are due no later than 5:00p.m., Sunday, November 6, 2022 and all projects must be completed in this funding cycle by December 31, 2023. For information and an application packet, contact Debbie Boyer at the Public Works Office (360)370-0502 or debbieb@sanjuanco.com.
Requests by mail should be sent to:
San Juan County
Lodging Tax Facilities Grant Program
350 Court Street #1
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Perhaps use the funds to purchase a ferry…?
Or to lobby for resident priority loading… ?
Or to focus on building facilities that attract the kinds of tourists we want, instead of people who think Orcas is solely a shopping and real estate acquisition destination? Perhaps an environmental and Tribal education center? that would be a worthy project.