Wetumpka city leaders want to keep the tourism momentum built on HGTV going.
Knowing interest generated by Hometown Takeover could wane, city leaders are wanting to plan to build other tourism interests. Wetumpka economic development director Lynn Weldon is asking the Wetumpka City Council to approve a contract with STAMP at its next meeting to aid in developing a tourism plan.
“We do have tremendous [tourism] resources within our city,” Weldon said. “We want to be able to market them.”
Weldon said STAMP has done similar work for other cities the size of Wetumpka to produce a program for marketing the city’s resources.
“They come in and produce a map, not a map like you would think of but a map of tourism,” Weldon said. “They will categorize our resources. Maybe even identify some things we don’t think are a resource, they will identify this map, this deliverable to us.”
Weldon said the company would look at and inventory what Wetumpka has from a different point of view.
“In the end it tells us what people outside of all of us would like to come see,” Weldon said. “How we can make it even better. How we can market it and bring people in for tourism. It gives us a prescription for how to proceed.”
Mayor Jerry Willis there is so much to Wetumpka that HGTV’s television cameras didn’t see.
“There have been thousands and thousands of people that we have had come here over the last two years,” Willis said. “There are other things around Wetumpka they were not aware of and we were not marketing at the time.”
As part of the tourism package is a contract with Yell House Publishing for tourism services. Both contracts are up for consideration at the next meeting.
Â
Are changes coming to the city's arts and entertainment district?
The council heard another change to an ordinance to expand when pedestrians could walk in portions of downtown with an open alcoholic beverage from an approved retailer. At it last meeting proposed hours were 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
At Monday’s meeting, the presented hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The council still has the ability to grant other hours through a special resolution.
The council will vote on the matter at its next meeting.
Â
Alcohol license approved
No one was present to speak against a potential package store, or retail beer and table wine off premises license for ANS Petroleum LLC on Southeast Main Street.
With no opposition present, the council unanimously approved licenses for the store.
 Â
In other action the Wetumpka City Council:
• Approved minutes of the March 6 meeting.
• Renewed a lease for a portion of the administrative complex to the office of U.S. Rep. Barry Moore.
• Approved purchasing two golf carts for use at the Wetumpka Sports Complex.
• Pushed permission to install a fence at the Splash Pad until the next meeting while awaiting a second quote.
Â
The next meeting of the Wetumpka City Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, April 3.
Â
