of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio
of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio new 12/19/05On November 29th, the public learned of a new public commission, the "Ross County Convention Facility Authority." (Like the "Jobs 2010" initiative a month before, it seemed to come out of thin air.) When I first read about it in the Chillicothe Gazette, I was cautiously optomistic about its mission, since I am partly in the tourism business. Though the name includes "convention facilities," the commission's first and apparently only focus was on only one facility - the Chillicothe Paints home at the VA Memorial Stadium.
To be honest, I have no interest in sports. However, I'm proud to say that my small-town home of Chillicothe has its own sports team, the Paints. It adds to our local culture, even though it is something I will probably never indulge in. Thus, I am not opposed to funds going towards renovating the Paints' stadium, especially to make it more mutipurpose for such events as concerts.
However, the focus for the Ross County Convention Facility Authority and its fund raising need to be more than just the Paints and VA Memorial Stadium. What about "Tecumseh!" at Sugarloaf Mountain Ampitheater? What about Statehood Day? What about our numerous county, state, and national parks? What about the Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitors Bureau? They and others are part of local tourism and are in need of funding.
Two members appointed to the RCCFA resigned within two weeks of its public unveiling, one with criticism about its involvement with the Chillicothe Paints. Perhaps that is why the RCCFA expanded its immediate scope to include using its funds to "generally promote tourism" and to "work to secure...funding to assist with capital improvements at area attractions" (as reported by the Chillicothe Gazette December 13th). This apprently includes Sugarloaf Mountain Ampitheater.
I wait to see if the Ross County Convention Facility Authority continues to "play ball" in an even and fair way.
