County tourist commission addresses several funding requests

Yahoo

25-04-2025

The London-Laurel County Tourist Commission responded to several funding requests for events at its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 15.
The first request discussed was one by Fishers of Men, whose event had already taken place Saturday, April 12. The group requested $1,500 but said that any amount would be 'fine.'
The commission was unable to address the request sooner due to not meeting in March. In light of this, commissioners ultimately decided not to contribute any funds.
'They had a fairly successful event,' said PR and Events Director Travis Shortt, who had been in contact with the group. 'They're trying to build it back up here in Laurel County.'
The event drew in 74 fishermen, consisting of both locals and those from outside of the area.
Next was the Come-Unity Cooperative Care Horse Show, which was a $1,500 request. The commission had budgeted $500 for the show but agreed to give $1,500 this year.
Also requesting funds was the Redbud Ride committee, asking for $5,000. The tourist commission had $3,000 budgeted for the event. Sticking with that, Commissioner Randy Singh made the motion to contribute only the $3,000. Shortt, who serves on the event's committee, said that he finds the amount appropriate, with the opportunity of increasing it in future years based on the ride's success.
'Let's take it a year at a time,' Executive Director Kim Collier agreed.
The final request discussed by the commission was one made by Pittsburg Marine for a fishing tournament at Laurel Lake, which is planned to become an annual event. The organization did not make a specific request, stating that any amount would be acceptable. The commission had not previously funded the event, but chose to contribute $1,000 this year.
London City Tourism Commissioner Todd Roberts was present, reporting that the commission was in the process of hiring a manager for the Fairgrounds.
'We basically made that hire and they'll start marketing and hopefully they'll come to some of your meetings and working with you all,' said Roberts. 'That's a real big deal out there. There's a lot of stuff that could happen out there.'
The London City Tourism Commission has since made that hire, with Christina Sowders of Corbin being the one to enter the role.
The meeting closed with the entering of an executive session to discuss personnel.
The London-Laurel County Tourist Commission meets on the third Tuesday of each month at Heritage Hills, located at 472 Falls Street in London. The commission's next meeting will take place May 20 at 12 noon.