Call to Order and Roll Call
The 2nd meeting of the Tourism and Development was held on Wednesday, August 26, 2015, at 4:00 PM, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, South Wing “C,” Room 104. Senator Chris Girdler, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Chris Girdler, Co-Chair; Representative Rita Smart, Co-Chair; Senators Stan Humphries, Alice Forgy Kerr, Morgan McGarvey, and Johnny Ray Turner; Representatives Denver Butler, Jerry T. Miller, John Short, and Jill York.
Citizen Members: Carolyn Mounce, Eric Summe, Mary Quinn Ramer, and Prakash Maggan.
Guests: Clifford “Rip” Rippetoe, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kentucky State Fair Board; Ed Hart, President and CEO, Kentucky Kingdom; JD Hamilton, President, Kentucky Marina Association; and Hank Phillips, President and CEO, Kentucky Travel Industry Association.
LRC Staff: John Buckner, Lou DiBiase, Adanna Hydes, and Dawn Johnson.
Approval of Minutes
A motion by Representative York and second by Representative Butler to approve the July 27, 2015, minutes carried by voice vote.
Discussion of school calendars; presentation concerning capital needs at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.
Clifford Rippetoe, President and CEO of the Kentucky State Fair Board, welcomed the subcommittee and spoke about the Kentucky State Fair and Exposition Center. State Fair Board events contributed $482 million to Kentucky’s economy in 2014, generating about $36 million in state and local tax revenue. The Fair receives 74,000 visitors on a given day, with over 230 hosted events, only a small part of which are agriculture related. The Exposition Center hosts events such as the North American International Livestock Exposition.
Mr. Rippetoe discussed facility concerns such as the demolition of Cardinal Stadium and other needed repairs and plans for the Fair and Exposition Center. He discussed the Center’s value and uniqueness compared to similar facilities around the nation.
Senator Girdler noted that the State Fair employs around 1,500 workers. In response to a question from Senator McGarvey, Mr. Rippetoe said the greatest facility needs involve Cardinal Stadium and work on the West Wing.
Ed Hart, President and CEO of Kentucky Kingdom, recounted the history of Kentucky Kingdom and the commitment to providing quality rides and attractions. He discussed the impact of school calendars on the tourism industry in general and on Kentucky Kingdom in particular. Kentucky Kingdom employs 1,000 young people who have to leave each August to return to school; attendance declines significantly at the same time.
J.D. Hamilton, President of the Kentucky Marina Association, discussed the boating and marina industry and the effect of school calendars on boating and water tourism.
Hank Phillips, President and CEO of the Kentucky Travel Industry Association, emphasized the contributions of the tourism industry to Kentucky’s economy in terms of employment, tax revenue, and money coming in from out of state. All of these contributions are negatively impacted by school calendars that have young people and families returning to school before the end of the summer.
Mr. Phillips illustrated his point about school calendars with information from Jellystone Park Resort Campground in Cave City, Kentucky, a small family-owned business. According to Mr. Phillips, income for Jellystone, along with tax revenue from state and local sales and transient room taxes, drops precipitously in early August. Changing the school calendar to provide for a later return to school would allow the business to be profitable longer.
A subcommittee member asked whether the tourism industry is more affected by the school calendars in surrounding states, and whether it would make much of a difference if only Kentucky’s calendars were changed. Another member asked whether a later return date would be offset by other, compensating adjustments to the school calendar. Mr. Phillips stated that he did not have data on those questions but that he would look into it.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:25 PM.