Blair leaders eye new tourism group
HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County leaders have already identified a potential organization to succeed Explore Altoona as the county's tourism and promotion agency.
Commissioner Dave Kessling said Friday that he wants to assign the county's TPA responsibilities to the Blair Alliance for Business and Economic Growth — the organization formed through the merger of Altoona Blair County Development Corp. and the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.
Fellow Commissioner Amy Webster said Friday that she too is interested in designating Blair Alliance as the county's TPA.
"That is what we're thinking, but there's a lot of things that have to happen first," Webster said. "And we really don't know how this will all work out."
ABCD Corp. President and CEO Stephen McKnight said Friday that at this point, Blair Alliance has been asked — by the commissioners — to help "chart a course for an updated visitor attraction strategy with outdoor recreation asset development being a central theme."
He said the Alliance has been working with Kessling, who chairs the Chamber's trail and outdoor recreation subcommittee. Their discussions, McKnight said, have focused on how to market the region as "a true outdoor recreation destination while developing outdoor assets that positively impact all municipalities."
At Tuesday's weekly commissioners meeting, Kessling and Webster cast votes in favor of what they considered to be the initial step in a series of actions that will decertify Explore Altoona as the county's TPA.
Fellow commissioner Laura Burke abstained from that vote based on the advice of the county solicitor. Her husband's law partner is the solicitor for Explore Altoona, she said.
While Explore Altoona and its predecessor, the Allegheny Mountains Convention and Visitors Bureau, has long been recognized as the county's tourism promotional agency, Kessling and Webster said Tuesday that their votes reflect a desire to certify a TPA that can both promote the county and develop new assets that bring people into Blair County.
Those assets could include the development and improvement of recreational trails, a desire identified in February when commissioners hosted a public meeting and heard widespread support.
When commissioners met Tuesday, they didn't mention their interest in Blair Alliance.
Kessling said Friday that after Tuesday's vote, he fielded questions about the decertification and future plans, including questions that surfaced during Thursday's Tyrone Chamber of Commerce's breakfast.
So on Friday, Kessling said he wanted to reveal his interest in Blair Alliance as the county's TPA based on ABCD's track record in asset development and marketing.
"It's like getting a two-for-one," Kessling said.
ABCD and its predecessor, Altoona Enterprises, has a long history of economic development pursuits dating back to 1946. It counts at least 2,000 projects associated with business expansion, improvements and job retention.
ABCD also secured a $249,000 state grant in June for a feasibility study to determine how to create a network of all-terrain vehicle trails in Blair and three neighboring counties.
As for why he withheld information Tuesday, he said he thought he would wait for the decertification process to be further along.
"What we did (Tuesday) was just start the process," Kessling said.
Their votes, however, drew immediate criticism.
Representatives of Explore Altoona predicted serious repercussions for the local economy if commissioners follow through with decertifiying their organization.
They pointed out that Explore Altoona has a 12-year track record of successful marketing efforts that have made the county a premier tourist destination. They chastised commissioners for the lack of communication about their intention, including no prior notice of the intent to vote at Tuesday's meeting.
"Explore Altoona's board represents every facet of tourism, from the hoteliers, to the arts, attractions, trails, restaurants, museums, outdoor recreation, etc.," board President Jodi Cessna told the commissioners. "Business people from bankers to construction make up this board. We also have a staff with the expertise for tourism marketing and who know when they need to follow the best practices of industry."
Webster said Friday that after Tuesday's meeting, she heard positive comments in reaction to the commissioners' vote. She said some reflected a desire for the commissioners to make progress on recreational trail projects, while others reflected a desire for greater marketing of the county's assets.
"We have a lot of different assets in this county, including ones that aren't being addressed in the promotions," Webster said. "I've gotten complaints about areas being ignored while the county as a whole is promoted."
Kessling offered a similar viewpoint at Tuesday's meeting, saying that Explore Altoona is supposed to market all Blair County communities and there's a difference of opinions as to whether that's being done.
"I think if you go to those communities, you'll hear that they don't feel like they're being represented," Kessling said.
Pennsylvania's Act 18 of 2016 — which permits counties to collect as much as a 5% tax on those who stay at local lodging facilities and requires certification of a TPA — gives the municipalities a voice in the decision.
To decertify a TPA, counties must do so by their own resolution after holding a public hearing no more than seven days before their vote. They also need to have supportive resolutions from governing bodies reflecting an aggregate of more than 65% of the county's total population.
Based on Tuesday's action, the county is expected to soon begin distributing draft resolutions to the county's 24 municipalities, which includes the City of Altoona, 15 townships and eight boroughs.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.
