SOUTH DUNDAS – The municipality and the South Dundas Chamber of Commerce have inked a 2016 deal for tourism services.
It will cover visitor information services in Morrisburg and Iroquois during the summer months of June, July and August.
The Morrisburg location will also be covered off during the May long weekend and then in the fall during September and October, excluding stat holidays.
Katherine Wells, tourism coordinator, told council this agreement will help in the shoulder seasons.
“I’m think of Pumpkinferno, for example, Alight at Night. They are very large events that bring people to this area. A visitor is coming to South Dundas and wants to talk to somebody, get more information, direction, they can’t go to the chamber office and get that face-to-face contact. We do provide that here (South Dundas Municipal Center)…but this (the chamber office) will be the designated area,” she said.
There was some confusion during Tuesday night’s meeting as the agreement suggested the chamber was going to be paid $10,000 for the service.
After some inquiring from Deputy Mayor Jim Locke, it was learned the money would only be up to $10,000 and would be subject to the chamber supplying invoices to the township.
The money would, in part, cover off the hiring of two summer students at the Visitor Information Centers in Iroquois and Morrisburg.
The VICs would be running out of the Forward House in Iroquois and the Chamber of Commerce office in the Morrisburg Village Plaza.
The chamber is looking for funding from senior levels of government to offset the costs of the position but Clerk Brenda Brunt indicated there’s a “slim chance” it will receive funding.
Brunt also told council the balance of the $10,000 funding may be used for “other things” geared to visitor information and tourism services, pending council approval.
The deal had been in the works since late 2015.