Visitor center struggling to stay open

ST. REGIS – Visitors to the St. Regis area who want information about recreational activities and tourist sites may find themselves without a central location that provides such information if funding for the visitor center isn’t found for next year.

The facility provides brochures, maps and other information about the many recreational opportunities in the St. Regis area and surrounding communities as well as a knowledgeable staff member trained to answer questions from tourists.

Operated by the St. Regis Community Council, the current visitor information center has served tourist needs since it opened in 2001. SRCC officials said, two years ago, the facility helped visitors from 49 of the 50 states, nine of the 13 Canadian provinces and territories and 28 other foreign countries.

Due to state government cutbacks on funding for such facilities in certain areas, the St. Regis Visitor Information Center may have to limit the services it provides. In addition to cutting back staff and hours of operation, there is a question among SRCC board members as to whether they can sustain the facility for another tourist season.

SRCC Secretary Glenn Koepke said he would be disappointed to see a facility that provides what he said was a vital service to the area’s economy shut down. While he said it wasn’t to that point yet, he was concerned about the impact on the community of not having a visitor information center to let tourists know where to spend their money in Mineral County and beyond.

“The last two years, the state office of tourism changed their funding formula and they no longer fund these kinds of places,” Koepke said. “They did an online survey about how people plan their travel. The majority said they do that online. Well of course, it was an online survey. Most of the people who come through here don’t plan that way.”

According to information from the visitor center and data compiled by counting the number of visitors who sign in, over 4,000 individuals utilized the facility last year alone. Koepke said if one were to take into consideration that the peak tourist season is only a few months in the summer, that number amounts to dozens of people everyday who use the visitor center. And that’s only counting the number of people who walk in the door.

“We have a kiosk outside with brochures and we see lots of people using that,” Koepke said. “This is a heavily used facility. We have people coming through here on their way to Yellowstone. People come through here on their way to the Flathead (Lake). Even in the middle of winter with snow on the ground I’ve seen people trying to get in here.”

Koepke said, currently, the community council is supporting the operation of the visitor information center. The facility is staffed with volunteers when they are available but officially it is closed at the moment.

SRCC President John Cheesman said the problem with the funding which dried up was at the state government level. He said decisions regarding priorities for state funds were made without comprehensive analysis.

“My concern is the state doesn’t think we are important enough to be here,” Cheesman said. “When people pull off here, they are going to spend money here. They are going to buy a huckleberry milkshake or get a motel room or eat here. I see this place as a value to the town.”

In addition to providing information about regional sites and activities, Koepke said the visitor information center educates tourists about ways to enjoy themselves in St. Regis. And he said, the more time they spend in St. Regis, the more money they spend locally.

“The local businesses do benefit,” Koepke said. “We know about the surrounding area. We are trained to answer people’s questions. We have time and expertise to do that. We are hoping the Department of Commerce to reconsider a funding formula that will make this work.”

Koepke said the reason the way the state allocates funds to visitor centers needs to be reexamined is because financial support is going to places that, he said, don’t need help as much as centers like the one in St. Regis need help.

“The visitor centers they are helping are in bigger towns that have other resources,” Koepke said. “Does West Yellowstone really need help? They are rolling in money over there. Do the big towns really need help on top of what they already have? The state calls this an official Montana state information center. If it’s an official state information center, they should help pay for it.”