Lynchburg City Council approves moving tourism program in house

Nov. 27--Lynchburg City Council approved plans Tuesday to move the tourism program in house.

The transition is part of the dissolution of the long-term partnership with the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber has had a contract to manage tourism on the city's behalf for two decades. Negotiations to renew the arrangement this year failed amid disagreements over funding structures and other contract commitments.

The decision followed years of on-again, off-again tensions between tourism and city representatives. The city plans to create an internal tourism department effective Jan. 1.

City Manager Kimball Payne said current tourism employees will be offered jobs with the city at their existing pay rates. Formal offers of employment will be extended now that council has blessed the plan.

The chamber said severance pay will not be offered to staffers who accept positions with the city or other employers. This is a change from a proposal developed earlier this month.

Chamber CEO Rex Hammond said the plan was revised late last week following discussions with the chamber's board and executive committee.

An article Tuesday was incorrectly based on the outdated plan.

The vote to take the tourism program in house passed on a 5-1 vote of council. Vice Mayor Ceasor Johnson was away visiting family.

Councilman Jeff Helgeson voted against it, and questioned what the city hoped to gain.

The tourism program has thrived because of its staff, Helgeson said. But that staff has been pilloried by the city for the past few years, he said, and its achievements questioned.

The chamber walked away from the negotiations because it was being "excoriated at every turn," he said. "You can't zap a cow with an electrical prod and expect it not to run away from you."

Helgeson said he was concerned the city takeover would end in a dysfunctional system akin to the government-run health insurance website.

Other council members said Helgeson had not raised these concerns in prior discussions, and he had supported the financial goals established by council at the outset of the contract negotiations.

"There was not a single dissenting opinion," Mayor Michael Gillette said, adding the financial terms were the major sticking point in the contract talks. "As a result of that, the contract negotiations failed, and we're forced to move ahead."

The city sought a contract that gave council the flexibility to set the tourism budget each year. The chamber said it needed a stable contract with long-term financial commitments to run a successful program.

Payne said he intends for the year-end transition to be as seamless as possible.

Several council members said Tuesday they were disappointed the talks reached a dead end, but hoped all the current staff and advisory board members would stay on.

"I have been a huge fan of Lynchburg's tourism program since I got on council and even before that," Councilman H. Cary said. "It is an award-winning program and does a terrific job for our local economy, particularly the hospitality portion of our economy."

In Other News

--Council directed staff to develop an agreement allowing Liberty University to access Treasure Island through Riverside Park.

In its heyday, Treasure Island connected to Lynchburg via a vehicular bridge that fed into an access road through the park. The bridge was destroyed by flooding in 1985, and Treasure Island fell into disuse. LU plans to revitalize it as a recreation destination.

Earlier proposals included a sports field complex that could host large tournaments. However, the idea was tabled amid questions about traffic and other impacts on the park and surrounding neighborhood.

Tuesday's meeting was attended by three neighbors opposed to the university's plans.

LU has scaled back its vision, and now is focusing on more passive activities like a community garden, hiking, camping and water sports.

But the athletic fields proposal could be revisited if an alternate entrance can be developed, officials said.

In interviews, residents said they're concerned about how their quiet neighborhood would be affected by these changes and about whether the island would be managed in an environmentally responsible manner.

Public comment was not heard Tuesday, but a hearing will be set when the road agreement is ready for council review. No date has been set but LU has asked for resolution by February.

--Council voted 5-1 to make it clear it believes that law enforcement agencies should purge all passively collected license plate reader data as soon as possible.

In light of an attorney general's opinion, an increasing number of agencies, including the Lynchburg police, have begun erasing the data after 24 hours.

Lynchburg has two patrol cars outfitted with license plate readers. Passively collected data refers to information not connected to an ongoing investigation.

Last month, Police Chief Parks Snead said he believed there were valid reasons to extend the data retention period and he would support related lobbying efforts when the General Assembly convenes next year.

This sparked a lengthy debate among council. Some members felt holding onto the data would violate the public's civil liberties and be tantamount to warrantless police monitoring of people. Others argued it could aid in crucial criminal investigations and should be allowed within reasonable parameters.

Ultimately, council adopted a position that called for passive data to be purged "as soon as possible." Councilman Randy Nelson dissented, and argued a more nuanced approach was needed.

The new position statement will be added to a list of legislative priorities.

--Council voted 4-2 to approve the Fort Avenue bicycle lane plan. Public Works Assistant Director Don DeBerry said the corridor could get its first short stretch of bike lanes later this year if weather permits.

It would be the third section of dedicated bikes lanes in the city after Rivermont and Park avenues. The bike lanes are being built in short legs as opportunity allows.

The Fort Avenue plan calls for lanes to be added to both sides of the corridor between Park Avenue and Wythe Road.

On-street parking would be eliminated on the City Stadium side of the road to make room. But city officials said temporary street parking could be created for games or other special events as needed.

Councilmen Jeff Helgeson and H. Cary voted against the proposal due to concerns about parking.

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