MONTE VISTA- The Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors met for their monthly meeting Thursday, Oct. 29. They discussed logistics for staffing the Chamber office, relief funds for local businesses and plans for continued economic progress.

The Chamber heard a presentation from Monte Vista High School Future Farmers of America/Vocational Ag Instructor Edwin Mondragon, who told the board about his motivation to get an FFA Chapter going at MVHS and his plans to keep it expanding. Mondragon explained it didn’t make sense to him to have events like Stampede and the San Luis Valley Fair hosted in Monte Vista while all of the neighboring districts had participating groups, especially with Monte Vista having an ideal location, access to resources and a culture that values local Ag. He is currently working with the students to coordinate an “NFL Draft” type of event for Seniors to get out into the community and get experience working at local businesses, which is positive not just for them but also so the community can see the students displaying their great attitudes and pride in their town.

Chamber Board President Linda Burnett explained the chamber’s assistant manager resigned recently and Chamber Manager Leo Wilde will be working from home until shortly before the 2021 Ag Conference, so Burnett will be staffing the office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday for anybody with immediate needs or to handle walk-in questions. City Councilor Martha Lock volunteered to handle the office for the same window on Fridays.

Burnett also announced the Chamber received $3,659 in Energize Colorado Grant funds. SLV Small Business Development Center Director Jason Medina explained there were 6,000 applications submitted to the state on the first day they were accepted, about 15,000 applications total for the first round and only about 3% of applicants were funded, with very few getting the full amount they requested. “I don’t know of one organization that got the full $15,000,” he stated. Medina said the grant funds were supposed to last for four rounds of applications but he expressed doubts they would last past three rounds based on the number of applications. “The requirements were very stringent to prove need,” Medina explained, noting years’ worth of financial documentation had to be provided. Applicants who didn’t receive funds in the first round are still considered for the second, which is active now.

Chamber Board Member and Manager of the Sandhill Inn and Suites, Ken Hamko, presented on the marking committee he, Chamber Board Member and Co-owner of SLVoices Adam Lock, Co-owner of Rain Brews Kyle Riggenbach and other volunteers have been developing. The Rio Grande County Tourism board sets aside funds for each town for marketing, earmarked especially for them to use to attract visitors from outside of the Valley. Hamko explained the Chamber requests portions of those funds to advertise events, but with the lack of events this year there is $11,000 that could be used for marketing that doesn’t have any oversight or a specific plan. He and Lock explained they are developing a website to market Monte Vista as a destination in itself, not just for specific events. “We’ve put together a plan to increase tourist traffic in Monte Vista specifically.” The full plan is roughly about 1/3 done, Hamko explained, and the committee has been presented with an opportunity to purchase an established website (active for 13-15 years) and alter it to fit Monte Vista’s needs. “It has unbelievable content,” which they can rent or purchase, Hamko added.
Lock added the website would take a month or less to alter to

make its focus on Monte Vista. “3 million cars pass annually through the 160/285 Junction... how do we bring them back to town?” Lock added. He and Hamko discussed several possibilities with the other board members, who brought up ways to promote downtown businesses and local events, including an effort by Rio Grande Savings and Loan CEO Shon Davis and the Optimystics to improve sidewalks downtown. Medina also encouraged them to consider an online commerce portion of the website or a spot to buy gift cards from local businesses.

The Chamber gave an informal nod for the marketing committee to continue working under the Chamber’s umbrella, and Hamko stated a complete presentation about the website and their plan will be given to City Council Nov. 19, as the city has to relinquish the funds to the Chamber and the marketing committee.

Martha Lock presented an idea to the Chamber Board regarding essential businesses. She pointed out with COVID-19 cases on the rise again that eventually they may reach a point where the state has to consider another Stay-at-Home order, which would be devastating to businesses that get classified as nonessential. However, she also pointed out a lot of businesses found ways to creatively stay in the essential category or to alter their practices to keep funds coming in. Lock proposed the Chamber could potentially take the lead on coordinating those businesses who are considered essential with those who are not, proposing the hypothetical examples of the Sunflour Café providing businesses like The Finery or Faemoon Wolf Designs with casseroles to sell after they close in the afternoon, so the businesses can remain open because they have food, or a restaurant providing hand sanitizer from their suppliers to another nonessential businesses to sell. She asked what percentage of goods in a business need to be considered “essential supplies” which Rio Grande County Commissioner Gene Glover stated was not specified previously, and Medina pointed out a souvenir shop in Huerfano County got to remain open by having a single table stacked with masks and essential supplies. Burnett pointed out the Chamber doesn’t have the staff ability to do the research but Chamber Board Member and School Board President Gary Wilkinson suggested each board member could find a connection with an essential resource and discuss the idea with that business owner and they could explore that coordination if the need arose again. Chamber Board Member and SLV Regional Landfill Manager Jim Clare also added disseminating any new information on “essential” requirements to member businesses should also be done if a Stay-at-Home scenario happened again.

The Chamber also discussed upcoming events, including approving a bid for Ecodynamics for 60 more Crane silhouettes for the 2021 “Swoop of the Cranes” project. The plan is to have the cranes painted ready to go up around town in early February. Hamko pointed out additional locations would have to be found for that many, which Burnett acknowledged but with the success of the first project it was worth seeking out the possibility of expansion. Plus unsold silhouettes can be used in 2022.

The annual Holiday Bazaar, typically the first weekend of December will be a virtual event this year, with the vendors making videos of what they have available and how to purchase their goods. The videos will hopefully be accessible the week before and can remain posted throughout the month of December.

The Optimystics will also be presenting a request to City Council for funds for some of their upcoming improvement projects, pending their receiving bids for some of the awnings and other painting improvements they have in mind for downtown. The Optimystics are hoping to utilize some of the $5,000 in funds that were originally allotted for the Downtown Colorado Inc. contract the City decided not to move forward with. Adam Lock also explained their lighting project for downtown was moving forward, with Xcel Energy proposing ideas that would only cost downtown business owners about six dollars per year. Because the Optimystics organization has an MOU with the Chamber, if the City provides them with funds, the funds will be handled through the Chamber.