Three Charles City groups get hotel/motel tax grants

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com 

More than $24,000 was issued Friday in Charles City hotel/motel tax grants to three community projects or events.

The Charles City Hotel/Motel Tax Tourism Steering Committee approved these grants:

• $10,000 to the Charles City Community School District to be used toward an outdoor sports complex being developed by the district. The complex will be located on 20 acres off Shadow Avenue and will include at least baseball and softball fields.

• $8,475 to the Floyd County Fair Society to be used toward lighting at the Youth Enrichment Center at the fairgrounds. Funds will be used toward dimmable lighting inside the building and security lighting in the parking area.

• $6,000 to the Charles City Chamber of Commerce Fourth of July Committee, to be used to bring in special entertainment for July 3, including a bigger-name band as well as a BMX stunt show.

Mark Wicks, Charles City development director, said the city received $65,000 in hotel and motel taxes collected in the city. Of that, $45,500 went to the city Parks and Recreation Department including to help pay the salary of the city tourism coordinator.

The remaining $19,500 to the hotel/motel tax committee was added to $12,683 carried over from the previous period to fund this period’s grant awards.

The grants are aimed at projects or events that trigger tourism dollars in Charles City, Wicks said. Since the money comes from taxes collected through stays at hotels and motels, the grants are intended to increase the number of visitors to the city — “to put heads in beds,” he said.

“It has to be something different from what is usually offered,” Wicks said.

One other application was not awarded a grant. Floyd County Conservation had applied for funds to go toward its cabin conversion project at Tosanak Recreation Area near Marble Rock.

“The committee fully supported the project, but felt it does not put heads in beds in Charles City,” Wicks said. “It wasn’t tourism generating in Charles City.”

Applications for the next round of grants are available on the Chamber of Commerce website,www.charlescitychamber.com. Grant applications are due by the end of March and grants will be awarded April 13.