STATE PARKS, RECREATION AND TRAVEL COMMISSION DeGray Lake Resort State Park August 18-19, 2016

Commissioners Present

Jim Dailey, Chair (Aug 18) Bob Knight Shash Goyal, Vice Chair (Aug 18) Weston Lewey Bill Barnes Mike Mills Jay Bunyard (Aug 18) Ness Sechrest LeRoy Dangeau Jim Shamburger Danny Ford (Aug 18) Cindy Smith John Gill Mike Wilson Kalene Griffith Randy Wolfinbarger

Commissioners Absent

Montine McNulty

Department Staff Present

Kane Webb, Executive Director Kris Richardson, Executive Assistant Grady Spann, Director, Arkansas State Parks Joe David Rice, Tourism Director Ron Maxwell, Deputy Tourism Director Cynthia Dunlap, Central Administration Division Director Jon Brown, Parks Operations Manager Joe Jacobs, Marketing and Revenue Manager Meg Matthews, Public Information Coordinator Leah DiPietro, Communications Manager Tracy Morales, Group Travel Manager Tiffany Knox, Welcome Center Administrator Kristine Puckett, Tourism Development Manager Erik Holbrooks, Administrative Specialist III, Tourism Division LaJeana Carroll, Administrative Specialist III, Parks Division Marcel Hanzlik, Region 3 Supervisor Mike Wilson, Region 4 Supervisor Shea Lewis, Region 5 Supervisor Walt Reding, Superintendent, DeGray Lake Resort State Park Brandon Owen, Superintendent, Historic Washington State Park Pam Beasley, Superintendent, Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources Michael Sindelar, Lodge Manager, DeGray Lake Resort State Park Michelle Edmonds, DeGray Lake Resort State Park SPRTC Minutes August 18-19, 2016 Pg 2

Chelsey Simon, DeGray Lake Resort State Park

Aristotle

Jennifer Peper

CJRW

Shelby Woods Dalaney Thomas Darin Gray Lauren Bridges Joy Phillips Brandi Childress Jennifer Morgan

Guest

Bill Ott, Eureka Springs

Roll Call

Chair Jim Dailey called the meeting to order at 1:30 pm on Thursday, August 18, 2016. Kris Richardson called roll.

Approval of the Agenda

Jim Dailey requested approval of the Agenda.

Shash Goyal moved to approve the Agenda. Mike Wilson seconded and the motion carried.

Presentation of Minutes from Previous Meeting

Jim Dailey requested approval of the Minutes from the July Meeting.

Mike Mills moved to approve the Minutes from the July 20-21 meeting. Randy Wolfinbarger seconded and the motion carried.

Recognition of Guests

Jim Dailey recognized guests.

SPRTC Minutes August 18-19, 2016 Pg 3

Financial Report

Cynthia Dunlap presented the year-to-date financial report for the period ended July 31, 2016. The expenditures were: Parks Division, $7,512,419 - including construction and grants; Tourism Division, $781,814; Keep Arkansas Beautiful, $24,506; Administration Division, $259,241. Expenditures for the Department totaled $8,577,980 an increase of 18% over the same period FY16. The year-to-date revenues included - operating revenue for Parks Division of $3,589,032 a decrease of -7% over the same period FY16; 1/8% Cent Tax revenues of $2,601,298, a decrease of -0.50% over the same period FY16; and 2% Gross Tax collections of $1,526,597, an increase of 14.7% over the same period FY16.

Ness Sechrest moved to approve the Financial Report. Weston Lewey seconded and the motion carried. Welcome

Superintendent Walt Reding welcomed the State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission (SPRTC) to DeGray Lake Resort State Park. Reding presented a slide show presentation featuring the history of the park along with recent improvements. Reding stated that 592,789 guests visited DeGray in FY 2016, which produced $3,780,810 in revenue.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Vendor Contract Update

Kane Webb, executive director, distributed handouts to the Commission regarding the Vendor Contract Update. Webb stated that thanks to Joe David Rice, tourism director, the schedule for the Request for Proposal (RFP) is on track. Webb stated that the Governor’s Office needed more criteria for the Rules and Regulations, which Webb stated could be found in the RFP. Mike Mills thanked Webb and Rice for their hard work and dedication to sticking with the timeline for the new vendor contract.

TOURISM DIVISION

Directors Office

Joe David Rice informed the Commission that Congressman French Hill has proposed to expand the Flatside Wilderness Addition. Rice distributed handouts to the Commission. The Flatside Addition will add approximately 3,000 acres to the existing Wilderness of 9,500 acres in the Ouachitas, making the new total more than 12,000 acres.

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Mike Mills moved to have the Commission support Congressman French Hill’s proposal. Shash Goyal seconded and the motion carried.

Ron Maxwell, deputy tourism director, stated that planning for the 2017 Governor’s Conference on Tourism is well underway. Maxwell stated the 2018 conference was scheduled to take place in Ft. Smith to coincide with the opening of the US Marshals Museum. Maxwell and Rice have had consultations with constituents in Ft. Smith who have stated the museum will not be completed until late 2019. It is being proposed for Ft. Smith to hold off on being the host city until the museum has been completed. The city of West Memphis, which was originally the runner up for the 2018 bid, has agreed to be the host city for the 2018 conference to take the place of Ft. Smith. The last conference in West Memphis was in 2012. The tentative plan is to have Ft. Smith host in 2020.

John Gill moved to have the 2018 Governor’s Conference on Tourism in West Memphis. Ness Sechrest seconded and the motion carried.

Group Travel

Tracy Morales, group travel manager, presented the Commission with the Group Travel report. Morales stated she attended BMW’s Motorcycle Owners of America (MOA) in Hamburg, NY, on July 14-16. Morales, along with Grady Spann, distributed 2,500 motorcycle guides. Photos of the tradeshow were presented to the Commission. Morales shared that MOA is looking for a host city in 2018. A site selection visit will take place in Ft. Smith August 21-22.

Morales informed the Commission that the National Bikers RoundUp took place in Little Rock August 3-7. There were 50,000 people in attendance and it had an $11 million economic impact. Morales shared photos of the event, which took place at the State Fair Grounds. Shash Goyal asked if the event was an overall success. Morales stated that 50,000 people coming into one facility had its bumps along the way, but was overall a huge success. She also believes the economic impact will be greater than the predicted $11 million. Jim Dailey stated that the State Fairgrounds should now have a better system in place that is more accommodating. Dailey stated that all the hotel rooms in Little Rock and North Little Rock were sold out.

Morales distributed a 10-page report from Olga Mazzoni about her trip around Arkansas. Mazzoni is a Travel South USA Italia rep and traveled parts of Arkansas on a motorcycle June 26-July 1. She visited Walnut Ridge, Dyess, Little Rock, Mount Magazine and Eureka Springs. A Full Report of Mazzoni’s visit to The Natural State was given at the July SPRTC meeting at Logoly State Park.

SPRTC Minutes August 18-19, 2016 Pg 5

Welcome Centers

Tiffany Knox, welcome center administrator, presented the Commission with the Welcome Centers report. Knox stated that her number one priority is to keep, retain, and train employees. Knox reported she filled three positions in one week. Sheila Ward moved into the Blytheville Welcome Center Manager position. Ward was previously the travel consultant for the Blytheville center. Donna Clayton is the new Blytheville Welcome Center Assistant Manager and Cathy Schoubroeck is the new Harrison Welcome Center Assistant Manager.

Knox stated that a Managers Meeting will take place at Village Creek State Park August 24-26 and the Fall FAM Tour will take place September 26-30. The FAM tour will travel Arkansas’s Great Southwest and Arkansas South regions.

Knox presented photos of various activities at several of the Welcome Centers.

Tourism Development

Kristine Puckett, tourism development manager, presented the Commission with the Tourism Development report. Puckett stated that it was the time of year to start nominating for the Henry Awards. Puckett reported the deadline for submissions is October 28.

Puckett shared that the Fall/Winter Calendar of Events will be available soon. The publication will feature “Bikes, Blues, and BBQ” in Fayetteville on the cover and “Beatles at the Ridge” in Walnut Ridge on the back.

Puckett reported that Cassie Crane has been hired as the new tourism development consultant. Crane was promoted from the Group Travel section.

Communications

Leah DiPietro, communications manager, presented the Commission with the Communications report. DiPietro shared that the Barkansas Campaign started August 5. She reported the campaign is easier to enter this year without photos to upload. Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa, Delta Resort and Spa, and Ozark Folk Center State Park are the three grand prize vacation packages.

DiPietro shared social media highlights for July 2016 along with photography.

Advertising Items

Dalaney Thomas of CJRW reported that the digital media mix would be 95% video and 5% banner ads. Thomas presented several general consumer print ads along with 15 and 30 second video ads. SPRTC Minutes August 18-19, 2016 Pg 6

Brandi Childress reported that the 2016 Spring/Summer post buy analysis met 90% of the industry standard. Twenty-two markets were purchased with an overall average across all markets performing at 99%. Only one market performed below the industry standard, which was Baton Rouge at 88%.

Childress presented the following 2016 Fall/Winter television schedules to the Commission:

Broadcast: Total Budget - $70,895 Scheduled to run for three weeks; September 19 - October 16 Average reach – 50.5% of adults 25-54 Average number of times seen – 6.0 Total impressions – 4,135,000

Cable: Total Budget - $472,859 Scheduled to run for three weeks, September 19 – October 16 Average reach – 70.4% of adults 25-54 Average number of times seen – 4.1 Total impressions – 14,958,020

Hispanic: Total Budget - $40,050 Scheduled to run for three weeks, September 19 – October 16

Total Budget for 2016 Fall Winter television schedules: $583,804

Joy Phillips stated that the budget had already been approved at a previous meeting; CJRW and the Department needed approval for the placement of dollars.

Mike Mills moved to approve the placement of dollars of $583,804 for the 2016 Fall/Winter television schedules as presented to the Commission. Ness Sechrest seconded and the motion carried.

Two videos were presented to the Commission, a Meet the Locals video featuring the Ohio Club in Hot Springs and a Point of View (POV) featuring Walnut Ridge.

Internet-Related Items

Jennifer Peper of Aristotle reported that desktop usage has gained in market shares in 2016 over 2015. Peper stated that Google now allows more text in ads, meaning paid advertisers are getting more space than organic search. SPRTC Minutes August 18-19, 2016 Pg 7

Phones and tablets saw 115,024 sales leads in July 2016, which is 51.4% of all sales leads. The total sales leads for July 2016 is 223,788 which equals 7,218 sales leads per day, a 41.2% website conversion rate.

There were 542,989 visitor sessions in July 2016, a 12.8% decrease over July 2015.

A new Barkansas video was presented to the Commission. Thus far, the Barkansas campaign landing page has had 46,200 visitor sessions; these sessions have brought about 9,551 unique entries and 4,562 e-news subscribers.

Tourism Miscellaneous

Joe David Rice stated he attended the Travel South USA board meeting August 9-10 in Branson, Missouri. Along with the meeting, the group took a tour of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.

PARKS DIVISION

Petit Jean – FAA Resolution; AIP 2016 Petit Jean Airport Runway Randy Roberson requested approval for the Federal Aviation Administration Resolution; Airport Improvement Program (AIP) 2016 Petit Jean Airport Runway. Mike Mills moved to approve the Federal Aviation Administration Resolution; Airport Improvement Program 2016 Petit Jean Airport resolution as follows: RESOLUTION WHEREAS, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism (ADPT) , State Parks Division is seeking a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Arkansas Department of Aeronautics for design and construction of a pavement rehabilitation project at the Petit Jean State Park Airport; and WHEREAS, the estimated cost of said project is $304,706; and WHEREAS, the FAA grant being sought is 90% federally funded and 10% owner funded, in which the 10% may be reimbursable from the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics.

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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission (the Commission), that: Section I: The Commission supports the efforts of the ADPT pursuing grant funding from the FAA and Arkansas Department of Aeronautics; and Section II: The Executive Director of the ADPT or his designees, State Parks Director Grady Spann or Manager of Planning and Development Randy Roberson, are hereby authorized and directed to execute all appropriate grant agreements and contracts necessary to fund and complete this project. THIS RESOLUTION adopted by the State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission on this 18th day of August, 2016. STATE PARKS, RECREATION AND TRAVEL COMMISSION /S/ Jim Dailey, Chair

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM /S/ Kane Webb Bill Barnes seconded and the motion carried. Discussion ensued involving the revived interest in recreational aviation with observations noted about the necessary maintenance and repairs to improve existing airport structures. State Park - Structure Removals Randy Roberson reported the Nyborg cabin (Building No. 03.1 /AASIS No. 120005512), acquired by Hobbs State Park Conservation Area in 2000 as part of the Nyborg property, included a 3,000 square foot log cabin built in 1976. The cabin has serious structural issues due to deterioration of the exterior wood logs. Staff has determined damage to be beyond repair and indicates the structure needs to be torn down. The building serves no other useful purpose. Shash Goyal moved to approve based on the information presented; the Commission finds the structure obsolete notwithstanding its insured value and approves the removal of the Nyborg cabin (Building No. 03.1 /AASIS No. 120005512) from Arkansas State Park inventory. LeRoy Dangeau seconded and the motion carried. Randy Roberson requested removal of structures from Davidsonville: The History Cabin (Building No. 37.09/AASIS No. 120006118) is a 192 square foot, one room frame structure built in 1959. It was the old park office and then was converted to an SPRTC Minutes August 18-19, 2016 Pg 9 interpretive center. It has also been previously utilized for storage of personal flotation devices and canoe paddles. Completion of Historic Davidsonville’s new visitor center now provides for adequate storage of these items. The Trash Holding Building (Building No. 37.21 /AASIS No. 120006128) is a 64 square foot screened building used to store trash before disposal. The park no longer utilizes trash removal service and the building is no longer needed Mike Mills moved to approve based on the information presented; the Commission finds the structures obsolete notwithstanding their insured value and approves the removal from Arkansas State Park inventory.

 History Cabin (Building No. 37.09/AASIS No. 120006118) from Historic Davidsonville State Park.

 The Trash Holding Building (Building No. 37.21 /AASIS No. 120006128) from Historic Davidsonville State Park. Weston Lewey seconded and the motion carried.

Proposed CY 17 Fees and Rates – Preliminary Review

Joe Jacobs provided the SPRTC with staff recommendations for the CY 2017 Fees and Rates for review, noting this is the first of a three step process. In August, the SPRTC receives the rates for review; September, the SPRTC will discuss and provide preliminary approval with any adjustments or revisions; and October, the SPRTC will hear public comments and make final determinations for the rates. New rates will be processed through the Legislative Administrative Rules and Regulations Committee meeting that occurs in October, with revised rates effective January 1, 2017. Jacobs disclosed new park guide design that would not include fees rates and will be printed every other year.

Jim Dailey noted small increments in pricing with discussion to follow in September.

Grady Spann mentioned a correction on Queen Wilhelmina State Parks Lodge’s Rates page the king suite is on the north side of the building.

Resale Report

Joe Jacobs presented a report covering resale changes during the past year. Changes include utilizing a new inventory system that includes an updated spreadsheet to improve tracking of SPRTC Minutes August 18-19, 2016 Pg 10 merchandise and providing group and individual training for gift shop staff including instructions for marking items down for clearance and utilizing managed pricing. Jacobs noted the sale of merchandise trend moves opposite of the gas prices; when gas prices are low, out of state guests’ purchase more souvenir items, when gas prices are high locals do not spend as much in gift shops.

Cindy Smith inquired about gift cards progress and discussion ensued about an Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism store with public accessibility and online options.

New mass purchased items include ASP Mountain Bike Jersey and KYYA - ASP Chocolate bars. These two items may be available from private sector businesses. The ASP S’mores and Granola infused bars will also be available from several locations. As an additional promotion, the packaging includes a ten percent off coupon for camping in ASP.

John Gill inquired about the status of Active Network contract. Grady Spann advised that ASP is in close communications with Active Network to provide a workable solution. Three years into a five year contract, Spann noted several challenges. No other company currently provides property management and camping reservation system that is web based. No billable items have been offered to date.

Operating Agreement Spokes and Floats Joe Jacobs reported a five year concessionaire agreement with Spokes and Floats, LLC (SAF) will provide a shuttle service for mountain bike riders in Northwest Arkansas for Lake Fort Smith State Park, Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area and Devil’s Den State Park. The agreement does not involve monetary exchange, however SAF will provide statistical data on number of riders they bring into the parks. Services begin on September 1, 2016, conveniently before the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) World Summit. ASP Miscellaneous Grady Spann noted “The People Who Make the Outdoors Great” mentioned Cheryl Vincent, Assistant Superintendent and Law Enforcement Officer at Lake Catherine State Park. The article portrays an image of ASP and the services provided. Spann announced all future advertisements will include uniformed ASP staff in the photos or videos to promote the image of ASP. Grady Spann highlighted “Queen Enjoys Official Record Breaking Year” noting that Queen Wilhelmina State Park has exceeded previous revenue and occupancy records. Spann visited the park this week and the team is doing fantastic. SPRTC Minutes August 18-19, 2016 Pg 11

Grady Spann updated SPRTC on the license plate fund. He advised that revenue will support scholarships, schools visits to parks with grants in cooperation with the Arkansas Humanities Council and provide bus drivers and fuel for buses. In addition, provide internship programs for college students utilizing special performance agreements and pay as contract labor for their work without using extra help budgets and positions. The third and final phase scheduled for this spring is scholarships for college students going into specific fields of study. Meg Matthews reported newsrooms are cutting staff and do not have enough staff to cover the stories in parks. Marketing and Revenue has begun filming news type stories to share with news stations. A “Fling Golf video” was shown to the SPRTC. Spann reported short “thank you for the 1/8 cent” videos will be produced and shared via social media sites to remind Arkansans where their support has been utilized. Adjournment Mike Mills adjourned the State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission meeting at 9:06 am on Friday, August 19, 2016, at DeGray Lake Resort State Park, Bismarck, Arkansas.