Title
Oregon City Elevator Kiosk Staffing Agreement with the Downtown Oregon City Association
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Staff recommends that the City Commission approve the Oregon City Elevator Kiosk Staffing Agreement
BACKGROUND:
The Downtown Oregon City Association (DOCA) received a Metro Enhancement Grant for the construction of an Elevator Kiosk, which has been completed and will be utilized to continue to promote the Oregon City Elevator and the City as a tourism destination. The Elevator Kiosk will be located at the top of the Elevator and will support many of the City's Strategic Initiatives, such as building tourism leadership capabilities, enhancing the brand of Oregon City, coordinating tourism assets through collaboration and cultivating and curating a portfolio of experiences. The Elevator Kiosk will serve as a visitor engagement portal to Oregon City's downtown, will provide an array of visitor-focused information and will help visitors explore the historic McLoughlin neighborhood. In an effort to provide exemplary customer service and meet several of the Strategic Initiatives identified within the City's Tourism Strategic Plan, all Elevator Kiosk employees will participate in a Travel Oregon Gold customer service training program, which will be funded by the City. The cost of the program is $30 per person.
The Elevator Kiosk will be operated as follows:
March 2020 - May 2020: Friday and Saturday from 1pm to 5pm (8 hours per week)
June 2020 - September 2020: Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm (48 hours per week)
October 2020 - December 2020: Friday and Saturday from 1pm to 5pm (8 hours per week)
The Oregon City Kiosk Staffing Agreement is a one-year funding committment from the City of $20,180. The agreement will expire on December 31, 2020. The funding source will be from the Tourism Budget, which is funded through the Hotel Occupancy Tax, which is a dedicated fund for tourism related activities. Given the pilot nature of this program, DOCA will work proactively to develop a sustainable funding stream to support Elevator Kiosk activities beyond the lifespan of this proposal. To do so, DOCA will explore additional funding sources, such as net proceeds from merchandise sales at the Elevator Kiosk, tourism development and implementation grants and collaboration with existing and new stakeholders.
DOCA will provide quarterly reports to the City's Economic Development Department on metrics tracked at the Elevator Kiosk, including the number of visitors to the Elevator, number of walk-ins assisted by the Elevator Kiosk staff and retail sale numbers.
BUDGET IMPACT:
Amount: $20,180 total
FY(s): 2019-20 and 2020-21
Funding Source: Economic Development - Tourism