Local tourism board prepares the way for grant applications

By Ralph Pokorny

Nevada Daily Mail

IMPACT Nevada Tourism is getting ready to accept applications for 2006 tourism grants from the city of Nevada.

This year the tourism board will have about $14,000 in matching grants to award for local projects.

Russ Kemm, tourism board chairman, said during a meeting conducted in city council chambers Tuesday evening, that the city will be advertising the program in the newspaper on Jan. 8, 12 and 15 with a Jan. 20 deadline for submission of applications.

"Julie will divide the applications into two groups. One group that has ties to the tourism board will go directly to the city council. The other group goes to the board," Kemm said.

The board will evaluate all of the grant applications during the Jan. 24 meeting.

Each grant applicant will have five minutes to make a presentation to the board followed with five minutes for the board to question the applicant.

The board's recommendations will be presented to the city council during the Feb. 7 council meeting, Kemm said.

The board also voted to amend their 2006 budget to increase the money allocated to cover travel expenses for Terry Ramsey to attend heritage tourism meetings from $1,500 to $4,091.

Ramsey has been working for the last year to have Vernon County and 10 other Missouri counties included in the Freedoms Frontier: Bleeding Kansas Heritage Area along with the 26 Kansas counties that form the core of the area.

This heritage area commemorates the period between 1854 and 1861 when the decision was being made about whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state.

This project started in Kansas and Ramsey has been working for the last year to have 11 Missouri border counties included in the area.

Getting the area designated as a National Heritage Area opens the door to millions of dollars from the National Park Service to promote the area, Ramsey told the board.

Ramsey told the board that the $1,500 originally allocated for her travel expenses would not cover the cost of the necessary travel this year to attend various meetings.

"Either we do it -- or not, and be left out of being part of the heritage area. We have to earn our way into the heritage area," she said.

To be added to the area the Missouri counties will have to show that there are enough resources related to the rest of the heritage area in Kansas to be included, she said.

If the heritage area is approved by the U.S. Congress there will be $10 million available to promote the area, she said.