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Mineral County officials oppose VIC cuts in two letters to governor

by Keith Cousins/Mineral Independent
| October 31, 2012 10:23 AM

MINERAL COUNTY - Two letters were sent to the office of Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer with regards to the $15,000 in budget cuts for the St. Regis Visitors Information Center.

The letters were prepared by the Mineral County Commissioners as well as representatives of St. Regis and Mineral County.

"After learning of the very large budget cuts to the St. Regis VIC, the Mineral County Commissioners spoke with board members of the VIC and leaders from the Montana Office of Tourism," the letter from the county commissioners reads. "As leaders of our community, it is our responsibility to find solutions to many problems and we find this one very challenging."

Mineral County Commissioners further elaborated in the letter that the cuts "undo all that has been accomplished" by the VIC.

"We are very proud of the job the St. Regis VIC has done for the tourism industry across the state," the letter reads. "We ask for your help to continue with the current funding of $20,000 until we can come up with a solution for the problem."

The letter cites the location of the St. Regis VIC as a key location for the tourism industry in Montana.

"The St. Regis VIC serves a very large number of travelers heading to many destinations across this great state, including Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks," the letter reads. "It makes sense to us to maintain our VIC at its current level."

All three of the Mineral County Commissioners signed the letter, which corresponds to a similar letter written by members of the St. Regis Community Council and other leaders of organizations in St. Regis.

The letter written by the community council further expands on points made by the county commissioners and also details the history of the VIC in St. Regis.

"The establishment of the St. Regis VIC nearly 20 years ago was strongly encouraged by the state," the letter reads. "The St. Regis Community Council agreed and took the lead, with the support of Mineral County, and arranged for the hosting of centers at two locations on private land prior to constructing the current VIC. 50 years of prior volunteering and fundraising by the SRRC allowed the group to purchase land and construct the premises which have hosted the VIC for over a dozen years, during which time the travelling public has been ably served by both volunteers and paid seasonal staff."

According to the letter, it is estimated that the St. Regis VIC had 6,555 members of the travelling public come through its doors from 49 states, eight Canadian Provinces and 28 countries.

"We the concerned citizens of St. Regis and Mineral County hereby request that you review the funding formulae and rationale for the VICs, and at least restore the funding to historic levels," the letter concludes. "Otherwise there is a real possibility that the St. Regis VIC will need to shut its doors to the travelling public at a time when tourism is being touted as an essential and increasing part of Montana’s economy."

The letter was signed by: John Cheesman, president of the St. Regis Community Council, Jackie Sanford, chairperson of the St. Regis Resort Board, Anita Bailey, president of the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, and Glenn Koepke, president of the Mineral County Community Foundation. The Mineral County Commissioners also signed the letter to the governor.