City split on visitor bureau

Wasilla council OKs, rejects tourism grant

April 13, 2007

By Russell Stigall/Frontiersman

WASILLA - Local businesses are upset over the Wasilla City Council's decision to reject a $50,000 proposal to create a visitors' bureau within the city.

A four-member council voted March 12 to reject a proposal from the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce to develop a visitors bureau. Council members Mark Ewing and Marty Metiva were not in attendance. The chamber's proposal was in response to a request for proposals from the city.

At the March 12 meeting, council member Ron Cox said Wasilla is not a tourist town and may never be and that travelers only stop to use Wasilla's bathrooms and have lunch at Best Western. Cox refused to comment on his statement.

Local businessman John Klapperich, commented on Cox's depiction of Wasilla at Monday's council meeting saying he believed Wasilla is good for more than &#8220Yesterday's cheeseburgers in our potties.”

Klapperich also said he would set things straight in the ballot box.

&#8220I'm going to vote for a mayor and council that believes in small business, because it isn't happening now.”

During the city's bi-annual budget process, the council set aside $50,000 for tourism, said council member Steve Menard during a recent phone interview. He said he believed at the time that the money would be given to the chamber.

&#8220I don't feel comfortable with the money going to the chamber,” Menard said.

Menard said the city of Wasilla is not in the grant-giving business. It is better to just say no to everyone than &#8220step on the slippery slope of giving out money,” he said.

&#8220Where do you say yes and where to you say no?” Menard said.

Menard said he would like to see the money come from an entity with bigger pockets than the city - namely the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau's $866,000 annual budget, of which about $670,00 came from the borough bed tax, Menard said.

City council member Marty Metiva started the process to get a visitors bureau funded through the city. He introduced the idea during the initiative process in January.

The council decided to investigate forming a tourism bureau, Metiva said. City staff came back with a recommendation of $50,000, and the council approved.

Last November the council voted 4-2 in favor of going forward with a request for proposals to develop the visitors bureau. The RFP went out to six firms, and only the Wasilla chamber responded.

Metiva did not participate in the vote to accept the chamber's proposal. He said that his connection to the chamber's executive director, his wife, Cheryl Metiva, required him to recuse himself from the vote.

&#8220We need tourism here,” he said. &#8220It is an industry that will leave a lot of money on the table.”

Metiva said he felt the council's rejection of the chamber's proposal wasted time and money.

&#8220There are council hours in this, staff hours, you invite the private sector in and they put time and effort in. Everyone does their job and it comes back and is voted down,” Metiva said.

This seeming indecision reflects poorly on the council, Metiva said.

&#8220We tell our citizens that here are the initiative and here are the goals. But when it comes up, we don't follow through,” Metiva said.

At Monday's meeting, the council decided to bring the visitors bureau issue back for discussion at a special meeting.

&#8220I hope as a body we have the foresight to capture some of this market and offer up the opportunity for businesses to thrive,” Metiva said.

The Alaska Travel Industry Association recently released a report that stated that &#8220every dollar spent on Alaska tourism marketing returns an estimated $168.”

During the public comment period Monday night, local business owners and representatives of the chamber and other community organizations spoke against the council's decision.

Sandy Joyns, manager of Grandview Inn and Suites, said she believes that to attract more tourists, Wasilla should represent itself better in the tourism industry.

&#8220We need to get the word out there and get our own tourist bureau here,” Joyns said. &#8220You want more business here,” she said to the council, &#8220this is the way to do it.”

Cheryl Metiva said she is frustrated by the council's disregard for the community.

&#8220It is disrespectful to all these people who make a living in tourism and could make more of a living,” she said.

Wasilla's chamber is typically recognized as the city's tourist center, Metiva added. Currently, the chamber has to send the Wasilla Relocation Guide to potential visitors to Wasilla, instead of a true visitor publication.

Even a small Alaska town like Nome has a tourist bureau, Metiva said.

The city council work session discussing the visitors bureau topic will be held April 23 at 5:30 p.m. Also discussed at the meeting will be a salary increase for the mayor of Wasilla and a proposed tax exemption for grocery purchases for seniors and disabled veterans. Proposals related to the two issues were defeated at Monday's meeting.

Contact Russell Stigall at

352-2267 or russell.stigall@ frontiersman.com