(Arnolds Park)– Funding requests and annual reports from various organizations highlighted Wednesday evening’s Arnolds Park city council meeting.
Among those giving reports was Doris Welle of the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association. Welle reported the organization has purchased a used school bus that will be converted into a travelling museum that will make the rounds throughout the region and state. But making that happen, she says, is going to take some money. As a result, Welle said the association is increasing its request for funding from the city of Arnolds Park to five thousand dollars year for the next two years. The council took no action, saying they’d take it under advisement while working on the budget.
Ann Ditsworth gave an update on behalf of the Corridor of Opportunity and the formation of a Performing Arts Task Force called “Arts Live”. Dittsworth says the group was formed at the request of those planning the Sami Bedell Center in Spirit Lake in an effort to work together to strengthen performing arts up and down the corridor.
Abby Larson of the Okoboji Tourism Committee also gave an annual report, giving statistics for 2002 and 2003…the most recent years for which information is available. Larson reported tourism is a 4.3 billion dollar industry in Iowa and that in Dickinson county alone, the amount of money tourism brought in increased from 143 million dollars in 2002 to 152 million in 2003. She added tourism accounts for a 24.4 million dollar payroll in Dickinson county with 1,700 tourism-related jobs in the county. Larson added the amount of local option sales tax derived from tourism increased from 2.6 million dollars in 2002 to 2.9 million 2003.
Larson says they’re now working on the shoulder seasons and will be adding some new events. They include the “Great Okoboji Wing Ding”, or a chicken wing feed, May 28th on the Green Space at Arnolds Park. In case of inclement weather it will be moved to the pavilion.
Larson says they’re also promoting heavier for annual meetings and conventions.
In other business, the Arnolds Park city council opted not to approve a revised 28E agreement with the Dickinson County Trails Association until the City Attorney has a chance to review it; and they voted to sell some city-owned right-of-way to Jerry Brouillet for the same price. But recent surveys show there’s more right-of-way there than first thought. The city had earlier sold some land in the same area to Brouillet for the same price. But recent surveys show there’s more right-of-way there than first thought. A public hearing on the matter was set for 7:15 p.m. March 9th.
The council also heard an update on the Linden Drive project and spent the rest of the meeting reviewing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
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