Various community leaders and business owners met on Wednesday, February 26, for the monthly meeting of the Benton County Economic Development group in Lincoln City Hall.
First on the agenda was a report on broadband in the county. Benton County Economic Development Director JoAnn Lane reported multiple companies bid on projects in Benton County. Mayor Glen Nelson commented that Brightspeed is working in all 3 towns in the county and plans to offer fiber optic out into rural parts of the county.
Lane reported that The Vault, a new venue, hopes to be done in April and they already have a wedding scheduled for May 24. Also in Warsaw, The Locker Room at the Lake will be a family friendly sports bar with local sports broadcasts, patio and heaters, outdoor games, etc. Possibly a soft opening in late March.
Also coming to Warsaw is a new RV site on Highway 7 toward Clinton, plus Sun & Reign Market on Commercial Street will have live plants. They are currently working to get their hours worked out.
In Cole Camp, east of town next to Classic, a new business, Foam Works Insulation and More are distributors for foam to spray in houses. In Lincoln, Sudz-Soft had a opening on Saturday, March 15 as an associate in the shop with Derma Beauty on the 65 corridor.
Lynette Stokes of Benton County Tourism reminded everyone of the importance of attending the Focus Group that is currently meeting in Foster Hall. The subject is kicking around ideas to help Benton County attract more tourism dollars to the area.
Stokes passed around a summary report of the number of “hits” the various attractions in the county had been viewed through digital marketing, and how much each digital ad had cost in tourism dollars.
Heritage Days topped the list with 26,712 views with a cost of $30. Lincoln’s Balloon Glow had 14,427 views and their Fall Market drew 9,327 with a cost of $50. A real shocker was Cole Camp’s Christkindlmarket with 11,629 views and cost $30. Cole Camp’s Fair had 6,841 views with a cost of $50 and the German Christmas Choir received 2,434 views with cost of $30.
Stokes also put out a plea for sponsors of the Artsfest to be held in conjunction with Jubilee Days and also for Harborfest on August 2. She is still awaiting confirmation about the water ski show that was a big hit last year.
Lane announced that Cole Camp Community Betterment has moved forward with MoDOT on the TAP grant for the Cole Camp segment of the Rock Island Trail. She also noted a RAISE planning grant has been awarded to the Meramec Regional Planning Commission and will work on connecting the city to the trail.
Amie Breshears of the University of Missouri Benton County Extension announced there will be a tour of the Harry S. Truman Power Plant on Friday, April 4 at 1:00 PM. While in attendance, visitors can learn how to become a government contractor eligible for contracts on the HST Power Plant and Project and get a tour of the Power Plant.
Also under MU Extension news, Breshears' Farm Management sessions are offering helpful istructions such as “On My Own” classes in farm business.
It was decided BCED will only meet quarterly while the Focus groups are in session as the same people typically attend both meetings. If BCED updates are needed, Lane will send out monthly reports via email.
The next meeting is on Wednesday, June 4 at 4:15 PM in Lincoln City Hall.
