Visitors council appointments made

Two appointees were approved to the Carbon County Visitors’ Council (CCVC) at the June 4 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council.

Per the Carbon County website, the goal of the CCVC is to promote “local travel and tourism within Carbon County and its municipalities and to receive and expend the revenues from the excise tax on lodging services.”

Members of the council are appointed by several separate municipalities in Carbon County, as well as one appointment from the Board of County Commissioners. The Saratoga seat’s term was set to expire on June 30, when current member Danny Burau’s term ends.

In the previous meeting, the motion to appoint McCall Burau to the outcoming vacant seat on the CCVC failed due to lack of a second. Burau was the only applicant for the position at that meeting.

At the June 4 meeting, the council considered the letter of Ellie Dana-Raymer, who applied after hearing about the position in the previous meeting.

Dana-Raymer started her letter with her ties to the community.

“The Town, the Valley and beyond have been part of my life since my first vacation here in

1996. Vacations turned into five month summers after I built a local house in 2001. It became

my permanent residence in January 2018,” she wrote.

Speaking to the council, she emphasized her interest in tourism, listing her experiences of recommending places to ride horses to visitors as an example.

“For years I would get up in the morning and I kept a journal of all the things that are fun to do,” Dana-Raymer said.

Next, she spoke about her community involvement, including her experience with the Airport Board, Chip In For Cancer tournament and Valley Village Childcare.

“Childcare is about economic development as much as it is about nurturing and caring for children. Without childcare, there is no staff to provide service to visitors, no staff for our restaurants, our hotels or even our new Critical Access hospital,” her letter read.

She finished by discussing her ability to work with the town council and thanking them for considering her application.

“I like it here, I like contributing here, I don’t think there’s a restaurant or a store in this Valley that hasn’t seen me with my husband on repeated occasions,” Dana-Raymer said.

Her letter echoed this comment, saying “in many ways I have been ‘promoting local travel and tourism within Carbon County and its municipalities’ for 28 years by participating as a visitor and a responsible member of the community.”

Mayor Chuck Davis asked the rest of the council if “this is what the town is looking for?”

No comments were made and the motion to appoint Dana Raymer to the CCVC passed.

Also in the meeting, the council considered an applicant for the member-at-large position to the CCVC. The candidate for this position was chosen by the CCVC and required approval from the town council. He was unanimously chosen as the member-at-large nominee by the CCVC.

John Farr submitted a letter of interest, which discussed his interest in tourism and previous experience serving on the board.

Leslie Jefferson, the CCVC Executive Director, wrote a letter to the Town of Saratoga, saying Farr will “bring his experience, knowledge and passion for the tourism industry in Carbon County to our team.”

Councilmember Jerry Fluty said he did not know Farr when Davis asked the council if there were any concerns about the nomination.

A motion to approve Farr for the member-at-large position passed.

Farr will need to be approved by the rest of the Joint Powers Agreement governing bodies to gain the position.

The next meeting of the Saratoga Town Council will be at 6 p.m. on June 18 at the Saratoga Town Hall.