City’s visitors bureau moving downtown

Carson City’s Visitors Bureau will move downtown in mid-September due to action Monday by the bureau’s board of directors.

The board voted unanimously for a plan described by Joel Dunn, the bureau’s executive director, as a move to Washington Street Station at 716 N. Carson St. He said the bureau will sell its half interest in the building just north of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, the bureau’s current location.

“We would be sharing the same block with the Nevada State Museum,” Dunn said, noting it will be a boon to visitors, the bureau, downtown businesses and the community.

The current structure that houses the bureau and the city’s Chamber of Commerce was constructed on state land for $150,000, Dunn said, and ownership is shared by the bureau and chamber. He said the chamber will purchase the bureau’s half for $100,000. He said the new downtown spot will be leased for $3,284 monthly the first year with an ascending rate to $3,770 monthly the final year. He said he will massage the budget to make it work.

“I think it’s just great,” Dunn said before his board approved the idea. He said the new location would take up 2,900 square feet of space in the nearly 20,000 square foot office building. The lease will be for five years initially, he said, and the location’s name will be changed by the owner to Carson City Square.

Dunn also talked of the Nevada Sesquicentennial Fair weekend at the end of July and start of August, but could offer little hard data about spinoff impact on the local economy. He said it was difficult to determine room nights and other spending because it was a short time ago, but noted hotel rooms were booked and there were various opportunities, along with the fair, in the region. For example, Reno’s Hot August Nights event was going on, too.

Earlier lodging data, however, was available. Dunn reported June revenue for all Carson City hotels topped $14 million on a monthly basis for the first time in 30 months. Through June, trailing 12 months data showed, revenues this year were up 12.6 percent from 2013 and up 15.9 percent compared with 2012.

The board in other action re-elected Jonathan Boulware as chairman, chose Stan Jones to serve as vice chairman and Jaswinder Dhami to be secretary/treasurer.