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Chapel Hill/ Orange County Visitors Advisory Board

Orange County · Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau
Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Advisory board meeting Arts and public artPublic facilitiesGrants and outside fundingHistoric preservationHousing and affordabilityIntergovernmental agreementsParks and recreationSchools and education

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Continued Approval of Minutes Postponed to October meeting

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau's advisory board tracks how the county spends its hotel-tax dollars and how it courts visitors. On its agenda: North Carolina's America 250 grant program, which has already awarded about $990,000 of a $2 million fund for events marking the country's 250th anniversary, a fundraising push for a hockey rink near Carraway Village, and a proposed rebrand of the bureau's logo.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

Board members postponed approval of the August minutes to the October meeting after asking that they be resent. Staff recapped a visit to Ann Arbor focused on the cost of public restrooms, about $1 million a year, and modular restroom units, then updated the board on fundraising for a hockey rink near Carraway Village and on the growth of short-term rentals in Chapel Hill, noting that Raleigh's visitors bureau has begun courting Airbnb hosts directly.

The board also reviewed the America 250 grant program: $1 million remains of a $2 million fund after roughly $990,000 was awarded across 50 grants, with individual community grants running $2,500 to $30,000 and applications open until November 1. Members discussed a proposed logo redesign, calling the current branding too focused on residents rather than visitors, and heard updates from members on fall festivals, October bookings, and a question about Chapel Hill's Dean Dome relocation talks, which staff said are still in the focus-group stage.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (7)

Staff or committee report · 2Discussion item · 2Procedural · 1Minutes approval · 1Presentation · 1
  1. Call to Order and Round Table Introductions
    Procedural
    Chair Karen DeHart called the meeting to order at 8:15 a.m., followed by round-table introductions of board members, staff and guests.
  2. Approval of Minutes
    Minutes approval
    Members asked that the August minutes be resent; approval was postponed to the October meeting.
    Postponed to October meeting
  3. I Ann Arbor Recap
    Staff or committee report Intergovernmental agreementsPublic facilities
    Staff recapped a visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan, on collaborating versus competing with other economic development agencies, the roughly $1 million annual cost of public restrooms, and modular restroom units.
  4. II Executive Director's Report
    Staff or committee report Housing and affordabilityParks and recreationSchools and education
    Executive Director Laurie Paolicelli reported on fundraising for a hockey rink near Carraway Village, including an economic index calculator and possible high school use, and on the growth of short-term rentals in Chapel Hill, noting Raleigh's visitors bureau has hosted a reception for Airbnb hosts.
  5. III America 250 Grant Opportunities
    Presentation Arts and public artGrants and outside fundingHistoric preservation
    Staff outlined North Carolina's America 250 grant program marking the country's 250th anniversary in 2026; Orange County received $10,000 toward the effort, and a related $2 million community grant fund has $1 million left after awarding about $990,000 across 50 grants of $2,500 to $30,000, with a 15% match required and applications open until November 1.
  6. IV Visitors Bureau Logo Discussion
    Discussion item Arts and public art
    The board discussed rebranding the Visitors Bureau's logo, saying current branding emphasizes county residents over visitors; the ad agency proposed a more informal design, and feedback will be gathered through a Doodle poll.
  7. V New Business
    Discussion item Arts and public artPublic facilities
    Members gave updates on fall festivals and bookings, an ArtsCenter fundraiser, and the Paint It Orange Plein Air event; one member asked about Chapel Hill's Dean Dome relocation talks, which staff said are still in the focus-group stage.

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