SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve the third amendment to the Management Agreement between the City of Clearwater and the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, Inc. to extend the Agreement for a one-year period, authorize funding in the amount of $50,000 in Fiscal Year 2014-2015 for the operation of the Beach Visitor Information Center (BVIC), and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
The BVIC, built in 2002, is located adjacent to the Pier 60 playground on Clearwater Beach just west of the Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina. The center is a 15 ft. by 20 ft. air-conditioned concrete block structure of tropical seascape design compatible with existing beach buildings. The Economic Development and Housing Department is the owner of the building. The City's Building and Maintenance Division maintains the structural integrity of the building.
The City released an RFP for management services in July 2007. The Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce was the sole responder. A five-year management agreement was signed in October 2007 and expired in October 2012. A one-year extension was approved by the City Council in June 2012 and again in September 2013. This will be the last renewal of this agreement.
The main purpose of the BVIC is to provide quality service and information to the visitors to Clearwater. The BVIC maintains open communication with Visit St. Pete Clearwater (Pinellas County Convention and Visitors Bureau) providing essential information as to the condition of traffic, parking, weather, red tide, events, activities and other information deemed appropriate. The BVIC facility is open 7 days a week, has a full time manager, and is staffed during key operating hours with the appropriate number of employees to serve the needs of the public.
The BVIC maintains a guest book where visitors are asked to provide such information as the visitor's origin (state/country), if it's a first visit, if they flew or drove, length of stay, where they are staying, and if they already had reservations. The Center also provides a computer for visitors to check e-mails and other internet usage. Over 36,000 visitors were served in the 2013 calendar year.
Comment cards are made available for the visitors to provide the City with information on their overall stay, things they liked or disliked and additional services the City might provide. Staff addresses visitor complaints and acts as a liaison to local businesses. The Chamber is exercising its third one-year extension out of the three extensions provided for in the 2007 base agreement.
The budget for the one-year extension is $50,000 (revised budget is an addendum to Exhibit B). Any losses will be covered by the Chamber and any surpluses will be returned to the City. The funding for this one-year extension is included in the City Manager's proposed 2014/15 annual operating budget as part of Economic Development's operating budget.
The BVIC has been consistent over the past couple of years with 74 advertisers and is one of the main sellers of Jolley Trolley and event tickets.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Code 0010-09216-530300-552-000-0000 - $50,000
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS:
N/A