Corbin Tourism discusses plans for splashpad

The Corbin Tourist and Convention Commission met on July 10 in order to discuss the financial report, upcoming tourism events and new investments the group would like to make into the Corbin community.

The meeting began with the approval of the financial report presented by Kyle Perkins. Perkins explained that the tourism commission exceeded their projected tax revenue by about $19,000 this fiscal year. The money will go into the next fiscal year’s budget where it can be used for new projects.

Tourism Director, Maggy Kriebel, followed the financial reports with the reports about local events.

Kriebel discussed the attendance at the recent Movies at the Park event. Attendance was only about half of that of the first Movies at the Park, but Kriebel explained that factors, such as vacation season, could have been a factor in the lower attendance. Overall, the event was still considered a success because it served roughly 75 members of the community.

Kriebel also informed board members about the recent success of Burger Week. She explained that she is already anticipating next year’s event and thinks similar events would benefit the community.

Other events discussed at the meeting included Kentucky Travel Industry Association Spring 2020 Conference, Cumberland Valley Cruise-In on July 14, Eggfest, the Independence Day fireworks, NIBROC Festival and updates on the Corbin Rail Museum.

The commission discussed the upcoming plans for the Splashpad, which is expected to be built downtown. The project is still in its planning phases.

The Corbin City Commission will be paying for the project, but the proposed location is currently owned by Corbin tourism. The tourism commission also discussed factors that should be considered before a plan is presented to the city commission, such as the safety and wellbeing of children who utilize the facilities.

Part of the discussion involving safety included how to lock up the facilities. Although a gate will be around the property, the commission discussed how to limit the access small children will have to the locks in order to prevent them from running out of the area into the busy streets.

Tourism commission said they want to ensure the project promotes a safe, fun environment for all members of the community.

The commission continued the meeting by discussing possible ways to expand the reaches of promoting Corbin as a tourist destination.

A unanimous vote was reached to expand publication of media to new areas in Ohio as well as along the major interstate highways.

The Whitley County Fair Board was denied funding it requested in a proposal submitted to the tourism commission on July 6. The request of $2,000 was to be used for the Whitley County Fair Pageant on July 14.

Changes to the current bylaws of the commission were also discussed. The current bylaws make no mention of the consequences of commission members not appearing for meetings. The proposed bylaws call for members who miss three consecutive meetings or four out the 12 yearly meetings are understood to have resigned from their position. The changes are expected to be voted on at the next meeting.

After discussions concluded, the commission entered an executive session to discuss pending litigation, but took no action in response to the executive session.