Minutes 03-11-2025-Work Session Meeting

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3 year in marketing and promotions. He said they will assist visitors with providing transportation to special events. He said the Visitors Bureau is open 6 days a week, and Saturday is their busiest day. He said visitors usually come for one or two days, so they try to encourage visitors to expand their stay a couple more days. He said tourism fills the local economy, supports jobs, and enhances our quality of life. Commissioner Portie-Ascott congratulated the advisory board for the fact that Orange County had the highest increase in visitor spending in all 100 counties in North Carolina for 2023. Chair Bedford said it was related to the big professional soccer game. Commissioner Greene asked about the challenge of Al described in the advisory board's work plan. Laurie Paolicelli said Al is a helpful tool as well as a challenge. She said that people rely on it to plan vacations, and it is just not accurate. She said the website is getting positive views for ADA and sensory assistance. She said one of the areas they are careful about is plagiarism. She said they write a lot, and they want to make sure they give proper credit when they are creating materials. Commissioner McKee thanked the advisory board for their work and the information they put out. Laurie Paolicelli said in addition to being offices, they are almost a lighthouse in the community. She said they provide the human services from the office, and she is proud of that. She said they provide a lot of services that might not be considered visitors services. Commissioner McKee thanked them for that. Chair Bedford thanked them for doing the BIPOC business schedule. She asked about the impact they are seeing on the work they did toward making sure that African Americans felt very welcomed in the community. Laurie Paolicelli said they did a survey just before COVID which alerted them to those feelings in the community. She said that a lot happened during COVID, and they came back and made it a priority. Chair Bedford said that they will be discussing the budget at the next meeting. Denise Duffy, the vice chair of the Arts Commission, thanked the Board for the chance to tell them about the items they have worked on. She said this was the third year for the Eno Mill arts space and they have grown that space into multiple arts. She said the LGBTQ teen arts collective has 25 teens per session. She said the Juneteenth celebration was a new program they supported. She said they also participated in a panel discussion with Washington Post contributor, Steve Petro. She said they had a dance performance in the gallery. She said they also had a volunteer fair. She said they maintained a minimum of 30% of tenants of an under-represented community. She said they finished their first year of a grant that helps youth find community through the arts. She said the number of artists paid for work increased and the cost of work increased. She said the annual Paint It Orange fundraiser raised over $17,000. She said the presence of arts brings a vibrant economy. She said the Uproar festival returns in August and is a family friendly and free festival that occurs through all three towns in Orange County. She said current concerns center around funding. She said with more funding, they can add more employees and expand their reach. Commissioner Carter commended the commission for everything they do to provide arts in the community. She also commended the commission for covering all their expenses with revenue. She said she looked forward to attending the Uproar Festival. Vice-Chair Hamilton thanked them for the work they do. She said that the report mentions the budget and she appreciate learning about the needs. She said that it will be a tight budget season. Commissioner McKee congratulated them on the percentage increases on the listings at the Eno Mill. He said it is always good to see that.