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Lack of volunteers, funds threatens visitor's center
The Desert Mountain Visitor's Center is suffering from a serious funding shortfall that could close its doors.
Recently, members of the Mountain Home Travel and Tourism Committee asked both the city council and the Elmore County Board of Commissioners for emergency funding on behalf of the center.
At a city council meeting on June 12, Brett Casey and Denise Barresi, Co-Chairpersons of the Travel and Tourism Committee, requested additional funding of $5,000 for next year's budget in order to keep the visitor center open.
"Things are pretty dire right now," Barresi said. "If we don't receive any additional financial support in 2007, we will have to shut our doors and turn the keys back over to the city."
The City of Mountain Home has owned and maintained the center since it open in 1994.
However, the Travel and Tourism Committee, a committee of the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce, is responsible for all of the center's operations, including the hiring of employees and volunteers.
According to Barresi, the severe decline of volunteers and the closure of K-Mart, which originally donated the land for the visitor center, are two key factors why Desert Mountain needs financial help.
"Those factors, and others like high gas prices, are components that none of us could foresee or prevent," Barresi told the Elmore County Commissioners on Monday.
"We have already eliminated the part-time staff and a janitorial position due to lack of funds," she said. "But with the recent loss of several volunteers, there is a need to rehire a part-time employee as soon as possible."
Elmore County placed $5,000 into Desert Mountain's budget this past year and Barresi said that is all they are asking them to do for next year's budget as well.
"We are not asking for anything except their continued support and financial assistance," she said.
Sue Gross, a member of the Travel and Tourism Committee, said that the visitor center has already been forced to cut back on its daily operations and hours.
"We are only open for a few hours each day right now, and only on certain days too," she said. "These funds would allow us to hopefully open up full-time once again."
Barresi said that, along with the $5,000 from the county, Desert Mountain received $10,000 from the city for this year's budget.
"Our annual operating budget is around $33,000," she said. "That leaves $18,000 that the chamber and the committee are responsible for."
At the city council meeting, council members asked what the committee has done to generate their own additional funds.
Barresi responded by saying that they have received several matching grants but that grant money for visitor centers is scarce these days.
"Most everything up there (at the visitor center) has been donated by a local service group," she said. "From the signs to the grass, we could never have paid for it all by ourselves."
"We need some help."
To help with operating costs, the center has also increased the number of souvenirs and locally-made Idaho gifts that are for sale.
"We are trying to be self-sufficient by selling these items," Barresi said. "But people can't buy souvenirs when the center isn't open."
Gross wished to stress, however, that the center's doors will not be closing any time soon, only that a partnership between the county, city and the chamber is necessary to continue operations in 2007.
"This center is more beneficial than some people might think," she said. "Just due to our location at a major crossroad (Interstate 84 and Highway 51), we get a lot of visitors at the center."
With more and more people moving to Elmore County, Gross said that there is potential for an enormous boom in visitors.
"Everybody benefits from the center, from business owners to local residents," she said. "We have always prided ourselves on being a recreation destination and during the winter, literally thousands of snowmobilers stop in to get more information about local trails."
The chamber even receives a $4,500 grant from the state in return for maintaining a section on the snowmobiling website www.sledtherockies.com.
"This is a real community effort," Barresi said. "We have had groups such as the Lions Club, the Rotary Club, and kids from the alternative school helping us out."
"All we're asking now is a little help from the county and the city. Otherwise, Desert Mountain's days are numbered."