The Manson Chamber of Commerce is being awarded 68-thousand dollars by Chelan County Commissioners, part of more than three-quarters of a million lodging tax dollars going to eleven projects across the county.
The Manson Chamber will use the 68-thousand for irrigation and sidewalk repairs in the downtown core. Also among the recipients is the Lake Chelan Ski Club, which was awarded 70-thousand dollars to build a ski rental shop. Other recipients included the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, Plain Valley Ski Trails and the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.
The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee originally set aside 560-thousand dollars for the capital awards, but then added another 216-thousand; Commissioner Tiffany Gering, who chairs the committee, said that was because of the caliber of the projects. The committee reviewed 17 applications for money, and narrowed that down to eleven.
Lodging tax dollars are generated by local lodging establishments. In Chelan County, about half the money generated in a year is allocated to six local chambers as well as the Cascade Loop and TREAD. Another portion is used to operate the county’s Visit Chelan County campaign.
Additional dollars are offered twice a year annually in the form of grants to tourist-related organizations, such as festivals and museums. A call for marketing and promotional grants is typically made each fall and a call for capital projects is typically made each spring.
