~ PVN staff report
LURAY, Nov. 6 — During tonight’s work session, the Page County Board of Supervisors will hear a presentation from Nina Fox, director of the county’s Economic Development and Tourism Department, for the “creation of a new cultural center and business hub aimed at bolstering the local economy while enriching the experience of visitors and enhancing the community for those who call it home,” according to an Oct. 3 press release issued by the department.
Tonight’s work session also includes special recognition for the county’s animal shelter and finance department for recent achievements and awards, as well as discussion of a proposed fee for uncovered waste loads at Battle Creek Landfill.
One month ago, the Economic Development and Tourism Department issued a statement about its plans to invest up to $5 million in grants, loans and transient occupancy tax (TOT) funds toward the creation of the Page Valley Cultural Center and Business Hub. The Center, according to the Oct. 3 press release, “would serve as a first stop and gateway to Page Valley’s rich heritage, creative and agricultural economies, business services and visitor offerings.”
“The potential of this project is boundless,” Fox stated in the release. “It is an opportunity to showcase the rich culture of Page County, from its artisanal talents and historical significance to the vibrancy of its local businesses. It offers us a chance to entice travelers who previously bypassed our towns to pause, explore and ultimately return for overnight stays, fostering economic growth and prosperity.”
Although operational funding (provided through TOT funds) would likely be shifted from the current Visitors Center at the Depot in Downtown Luray — operated by the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce — to the new cultural center…Fox steers away from referring to, or proposing, that the new facility will simply be a “visitors center.”
“Visitor centers are facing several challenges that have contributed to their decline in recent years,” said Fox, adding that a majority of travelers rely on devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers to make travel decisions before and during their stays. “They can easily plan their trips, find directions, read reviews and access real-time updates, reducing the need for physical visitor centers.
“Many regions are adapting to these challenges by abandoning traditional visitor centers, offering more interactive and engaging experiences,” she continued. “We plan to further underscore our community by focusing on sustainability, collaborating with local businesses and embracing technology to provide valuable information and services to visitors.”
The model proposed for the new Center has five parts or elements:
- Artisan Center: The establishment of an artisan center will celebrate and showcase the rich creative talents of Page County, embracing various art forms such as visual arts, sculpture, crafts and trades. Retail space will help support local artists and artisans.
- Marketplace: The creation of a marketplace that exclusively features products made within Page County will spotlight the area’s agriculture and locally made goods. While not a full retail location, it will offer a sampling of local goods, encouraging visitors to explore the county’s shops, farms, farmers markets, bakeries and more.
- Restaurant Incubator: Aimed at easing the challenges of starting a restaurant, a proposed restaurant incubator will provide up-and-coming chefs in the area an opportunity to test their concepts and gain experience.
- Business Center: Plans for a centralized resource hub will serve as a consolidated location where entrepreneurs, investors and both existing and potential business owners can access a comprehensive range of services and information needed to start, operate or expand their business.
- Welcome Center for Page Valley and Parks: Situated at a high-traffic corridor, the cultural center will incorporate a welcome center, providing essential tourist information and driving more traffic into nearby Downtown Luray, as well as Page Valley and the towns of Stanley and Shenandoah. Outdoor offerings at the proposed Page Valley Cultural Center and Business Hub are aimed at enhancing the center’s appeal for both visitors and residents. Potential components include an amphitheater, splash pad, farmers market, ice skating rink and walking trails that connect to the Luray-Hawksbill Greenway and lead into Downtown Luray.
A big plus Fox points out as a key benefit to the new Center is location — along “the most-traveled corridor in Page County.” The county-owned land situated near the intersection of Routes 211 and 340 in Luray saw 6.1 million vehicles pass by in 2021, compared to 1.9 million vehicles that passed by the current Visitors Center during that same period.
“The strategic location of this facility holds the promise of significantly expanding our visitor base, drawing individuals who might otherwise have bypassed our towns entirely,” said Fox, adding that the Luray-Page County Visitor Center in 2022 greeted 10,409 walk-ins, down slightly from 10,587 in 2021.
Fox underscored “a missed opportunity” to drive visitors into Downtown Luray and Page Valley who otherwise travel only between Luray Caverns and Shenandoah National Park.
“The strategic placement of this facility seeks to not only capture the attention of day travelers, but to encourage their curiosity and beckon them to explore Page County more deeply,” she said, adding that Page County welcomes an estimated 1 million visitors or more each year. “By doing so, we anticipate a substantial increase in visitors who not only stop by, but also stay, fostering sustained economic growth and a more vibrant, interconnected community.”
The county paid $650,000 for the 9-acre site about 15 years ago — which at the time was assessed for tax purposes at a value of $48,000 — but never built on the property despite proposals ranging from a site for a new county office building, to a new home for the Luray Volunteer Rescue Squad. One of the concerns that held up some of the building proposals was that some of the property lies within a flood plain. For several years, the site has served as the home of the Page County Jail garden.
Fox insists that the project would be paid for with funds that would not directly impact local taxpayers. TOT funds, which are paid by both tourists and locals, would largely support the project, along with applying for grants and low-interest federal loans. While the initial cost is estimated to run between $3.5 and $5 million, the plan does not contain any specific details about the amount of staff that will be needed at the new Center or the ongoing annual projected costs to operate and maintain the Center. However, Fox stated in the press release that the project’s financial plans are rooted in “long-term sustainability without imposing additional costs on our residents.”
According to the press release, “TOT revenue collected by the county funds marketing campaigns; collaborative marketing for the towns of Luray, Stanley and Shenandoah; staff; professional development; content creation; services for tourism industry partners; and operations at the visitor center, located at the train depot and Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce facility in Downtown Luray.”
While TOT funds were previously distributed to about two dozen groups and non-profits annually to promote various events up until a couple of years ago, the county has now tightened its grip on tourism dollars, increased the amount that feeds into the general fund, and formed its own Tourism Council (separate from an identical group that previously existed under the Chamber of Commerce and recently dissolved in October).
The Page County Tourism Council serves as an advisory group, fielding annual TOT requests and proposals and making allocation recommendations to the Page County Board of Supervisors. In fiscal 2022, the county collected about $1.6 million in TOT revenue. That total is projected to increase by more than 20 percent in fiscal 2023.
The tourism council in April voted to unanimously recommend that $200,000 in TOT revenue be earmarked to go toward the evaluation of creating a cultural center. In May, the council voted to recommend that the Page County Board of Supervisors allocate $138,692 in TOT revenue requested by the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center for fiscal 2024 operations at the visitor center. The allocation to the Chamber reflects an increase of 37.6 percent ($37,878) from fiscal 2023.
While Fox’s plan does not provide specific details about the new Center’s proposed staffing and projected operational expenses, the plan does specifically outline those expenses at the current Visitors Center.
“Included in fiscal 2024’s TOT allocation is $91,624 toward the salaries of five staff members at the visitor center; $7,330 for payroll taxes; $3,000 for postage and shipping; $6,000 for rent; $4,000 for utilities; $1,500 for office supplies; $2,700 for communications; $1,500 for office equipment; $5,000 for janitorial services; $600 for insurance; $1,830 for dues and subscriptions; $1,000 for education; and $12,608 for administrative fees, as requested by the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center to represent ‘inflation’,” the release states.
“We stand at the intersection of vision and opportunity,” said Fox. “The funding recommended by the tourism council for the development planning of this facility represents an investment in Page County’s future. Together, we can make the Page Valley Cultural Center and Business Hub a reality, ensuring that Page County stands as a beacon of culture, commerce, and community for all to admire and cherish.”
Segments of this report were taken directly from the Oct. 3 press release issued by the county.
To watch Monday night’s work session live, CLICK HERE.
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The most dumb an unnecessaries idea the county has come up with in a long time, and that’s saying something. A wasteful vanity project being pushed by the “Cabin Owners Cabal”, and who in the heck under the age of 60 goes to a “visitor’s center” anyway? Good grief kill this before any more energy is put into this…
Thank you for publishing this. The proposal is a rehash of a prepandemic proposal developed by va tech and is missing any evidence that it will help the Luray downtown. It is more likely to seriously damage it.
How can you even debate about a new center without knowing a calculated budget as to the upkeep of such a building. This is nonsense and unnecessary spending at its finest. It seems like it will just create additional taxes to residents like owning a timeshare where you you never know how much the maintenance fee will be.
All well and good to propose a cultural center but there are serious unanswered questions…
How many artists and artisans does the county have? How many have a regional or national presence that would attract an audience?
What places of historical significance exist in the county? Would this duplicate the history components of Luray caverns? How would it compete against history -rich nearby destinations?
Why would would be chefs come here? What does the county offer? We have no fine dining options. Isn’t this concept better suited to Rappahannock?
Why not work with owners of vacant buildings to create a business hub in town? What will be done about poor internet connectivity at the proposed location?
What evidence do you have that this will help and not hurt downtown businesses?
If located as suggested on the old Frank Rosser fairgrounds, and right beside the Bypass, it would wind up being a restroom stop between Luray Caverns and the SNP. It would also draw attention away from downtown.
Good Luck.
What about the 5 people who work at the Chamber of Commerce? Will they have jobs at this Cultural Center as they should?
Such a bad idea. Waste of money. There is absolutely no need for that in Page County. Life long residents like to keep our county small and country feel. We have enough people on our roads now traveling through.
The meeting last night showed significant problems. The one supervisor in favor talked about adhering to the cardinal report, published more than 10 years ago that I think focused only on tourism and agriculture for the county. Issues today are good jobs, workforce housing. Mr Vaughn is a successful businessman. Does he operate his business using data and practices more than 10 years old? Why expect the county to do so?
There was no data presented to support this project. Mr Guzy noted that he has seen very few successful business incubators. Was any research done by the tourism staff before including items like this?
The supervisors wanted to see an economic development plan for the project, yet the county hasn’t updated its county wide plan since 2012. Shouldn’t that be step 1.
Recent EDA minutes show that the EDA says it is not responsible for creating one, so who is? Old EDA minutes show that staff was supposed to present one, but never did. The EDA minutes show that that entity has drafted economic development concepts, but they are not published anywhere. Seriously, we have to FOIA for this?
Has anyone bothered to ask county residents and tourist focused businesses what they think would be good?
Interestingly, in development of this plan, county staff and the tourism council apparently never thought to ask Luray officials what they thought of the idea.
None of this bodes well.