When Eureka Springs City Advertising & Promotion Commission met Nov. 13 for its regular monthly meeting, Finance Director Rick Bright said the year-to-date sales tax income was right on target at $1.2 million, and Auditorium income is almost $25,000 more than expected with concession sales alone bringing in more than double, at 221 percent of its budget.
“We are definitely moving in the right direction here,” Bright commented, adding “and we still have money to make this year.” He said he anticipates more Auditorium income before the finish of 2019. Additionally positive, total commission expenses have been held well below budget with more than $85,000 to spare year-to-date.
Executive Director Lacey Ekberg said that the project “Eureka 360” is complete and will be offered on CAPC online sites. Later Bright said that the project that shows visitors 360-degree views from various Eureka Springs locations can be publicly accessed at 360eureka.org.
Currently the site is titled “360 Trails Tour” and focuses on areas such as Lake Leatherwood and the Passion Play. Clicking on a trail can provide the viewer with zooming capabilities, videos of bike jumps, and the level of difficulty on a scale from easy to expert. Ekberg stated that expanding the project beyond trails is only being discussed at this time as expansion would be very costly.
The final 2020 CAPC budget was unanimously approved, however the document was not yet provided.
Commissioner Debbie Reay announced she is resigning due to health reasons.
Commissioners cancelled both the November and December workshops, and the next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Auditorium.