Visitor spending up, but lags surrounding counties

Visitor spending up, but lags surrounding counties

    YATES COUNTY—Visitors to Yates County spent $59,647,000 in 2011. According to a study by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company, this is up 3.4 percent over 2010 and generated some $3.8 million in county tax revenues for the year.
    Yates County Chamber of Commerce President Mike Linehan presented the tourism numbers to the county legislature, Monday, July 9. However, Linehan said that Yates County had the smallest increase (3.4 percent) of 14 Finger Lakes counties. Tioga County led with a 16.2 percent increase for the same time frame. Schuyler County had the next highest increase, at 13 percent.
    In his review of the study, Linehan also shared his two tourism concerns. He said stores should stay open longer and that there is a perceived absence of upscale restaurants. Linehan added businesses need to understand when visitors want to shop. He said stores in Hammondsport do good business in the evening as visitors are going out to the restaurants. Legislator Donna Alexander said the stores should maybe use different summer hours.
    Linehan also listed several trends he is noticing, such as more residents from Erie, Pa., visiting Yates County. He said even with gas prices down, people are still sticking closer to home. He added visitors are mostly traveling no more than three to four hours.
    The report also showed numbers comparing 2011 to 2009. Yates County percentages improved when considering a two year time frame. Comparing 2011 to 2009, the percent increase for Yates was 11.7 percent, which ranks the area in the middle of surrounding counties. Cortland County had the highest increase over the same time with 54.9 percent.
    In other business:
    • The Yates legislature approved to participate in a broadband grant application seeking just under $3 million through the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council. County Planner Shawna Bonshak explained if approved it would connect with the Ontario broadband service and run 68 miles of fiber optic cables through Penn Yan and into Branchport, Dundee, Dresden, and connect with the Southern Tier service in Watkins Glen. She added it would allow multiple carriers to offer broadband service to residents. Bonshak said, “there are still a few areas in the county using dial-up.”
    • Finger Lakes Community College President Barbara Risser spoke to the board about improvements and plans for expansions at the college’s various campuses across the four county area. She also said that 75 percent of college graduates stay within this region.
    • After a public hearing with no comment, the legislature approved to override the state’s tax levy cap if necessary. Chairman Taylor Fitch said this just a precaution in case a mistake is made the budget calculations.
    • Yates received a $20,700 grant from the Genesee Transportation Council to have Mastermind Systems, Inc. conduct a safe passing zone survey of county roads. Legislator Dan Banach said this study will indicate where traffic is allowed to pass on county roads.
    • Robert Brechko was reappointed as the Democratic commissioner for the Yates County Board of Elections.
    • Resident Joe Hoff asked the board to approve a drilling ban on all county owned property. He said that even if the county has no leases at the present, a ban would be symbolic. He added six other counties have also passed similar bans.