Newspaper Page Text
Page 2C
May 2, 2018
tEqporter
CVB director discusses ways
to bring tourists to town
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Executive director of
Forsyth Convention &
Visitors Bureau Gilda
Stanbery was the keynote
speaker at the Partners
for Smart Growth quar
terly community forum
meeting in Jackson on
March 22. She was asked
to address the group,
an organization of busi
nesses and local lead
ers, about revitalizing
a downtown area with
murals and other art.
Subsequent to her pre
sentation, Stanbery was
interviewed by the local
radio station, 92.1 FM,
and her interview was
aired multiple times over
the following week.
Stanbery gave the group
a brief background of the
Forsyth CVB, which was
created through legisla
tion in late 2015. The
city of Forsyth passed a
hotel/motel tax in 1988
and had given 40 percent
of the money collected
to the Forsyth-Monroe
County Chamber of
Commerce to promote
tourism in the area
since then. However,
with tourism growing
as an economic force in
Middle Georgia, Forsyth
opted for a new direction
and created its CVB.
Forsyth collects about
$30,000 per month on
the 5 percent tax from
14 hotel/motels and
one KOA campground,
making the CVB’s 40
percent about $12,000
per month. Stanbery has
worked with the funds
available to increase
Forsyth’s presence in the
Georgia Travel Guide
and Explore Georgia,
state vehicles that pro
mote the cities’ attrac
tions and bring visitors
to town. She has used
websites and tools like
Instagram to raise the
public’s awareness of the
city and its accommoda
tions, dining and shop
ping opportunities and
attractions.
“It is important to
identify distinctive fea
tures that set us apart,”
she said.
Stanbery said that
Forsyth found that trains
were an important part
of its identity. This was
highlighted with a festi
val a few years ago that
marked the 175th anni
versary since the first
passenger train connect
ed Forsyth with Macon.
Trains made Forsyth
important as the location
of field hospitals where
Confederate wounded
were transported dur
ing the Civil War, and
thus the final resting
place of many soldiers
and civilians who fled
advancing armies. Trains
were important in bring
ing young women and
their professors to Tift
College, which was cen
tral to life in Forsyth for
over a century. Stanbery
said that Forsyth is for
tunate to have two his
toric train depots, one
of which houses exhibits
maintained by Monroe
County Historical
Society.
Stanbery said that
murals are a good, cost
effective way to create
a sense of place, and
a mural representa
tive of Forsyth needed
to incorporate a steam
engine and be welcom
ing, saying, “We’re glad
you’re here!” She applied
for and was awarded
a matching Vibrant
Communities grant from
Georgia Council for the
Arts. She sought propos
als from muralists rec
ommended by Vibrant
Arts and the Regional
Commission and formed
a committee to choose
the one which best met
the vision for the city
with the resources avail
able.
“It is important that it
feels authentic, unique
and tells a story,” she
said. “Storytelling is criti
cal.”
Stanbery said Forsyth
had some bumps in get
ting its first mural in
place even after finding a
good theme, good story,
a grant and an artist that
could bring the vision
to reality. The owner of
the building originally
picked for the mural and
submitted in the applica
tion for the grant had
a change of heart and
a new place had to be
found quickly. The new
site did not have the vis
ibility of the first one,
where over 12,000 cars
pass each day according
to DOT, but it is across
the streets from Forsyth’s
historic depots.
With the first mural
in place, Stanbery began
looking for ways to
expand the public art
in Forsyth, including
additional murals, and
to promote the amenities
through television, print
and Internet coverage.
She said that one target
audience in Forsyth is
the 65,000 students who
go through training at
the Georgia Public Safety
Training Center each
year. They usually finish
classes by 6 p.m. each
day, and Forsyth would
like to keep them in town
during their free time.
With the Department
of Corrections
Headquarters in Forsyth,
Stanbery learned through
a conversation with the
warden of the A1 Burruss
Correctional Center, that
inmate artists could be
a resource for the city’s
developing art projects,
including inmate welders
who create three-dimen
sional art.
The next project, a
mixed media mural in
the city park, is nearing
completion. It highlights
Forsyth’s history as a
unique manufacturer
of kite string for many
years. There will be a
mural across a build
ing that merges with a
large metal kite over the
building. It is designed
for photos to look as if
one is flying the giant
metal kite. Stanbery said
that interactive art is a
good draw for visitors.
Another project is a bike
rack designed to resem
ble a train. It will tie in
with a bike path.
In response to ques
tions about grants, she
said there are many
grants available for
public art projects, like
murals, but they are
highly competitive. She
said she has been writing
grant applications for 25
years. Most grants are
for matching funds, and
it is best to know where
those matches would
come from when apply
ing. Applications should
include letters of support
from major stakeholders.
She said the total cost
of Forsyth’s first mural
was about $18,000 and
that a mural will cost
$25-$35 per square
foot, depending on how
detailed it is and the
kind of paints used. She
advised being as specific
as possible about what
you want when asking
for concept drawings
from artists while still
giving them room to
be creative. Stanbery
suggested asking for
ideas from people at the
grassroots level; people
who want to be part of
making their community
more beautiful.
When asked about
maintenance for a mural,
Stanbery said a mural
should last 10-15 years.
Initially it should be
maintenance free, but the
Georgia sun will cause
fading over the years.
Forsyth has an agree
ment with the city and
the business owner for
maintaining the mural
and has a good relation
ship with the artist for
touch ups. The best
surface is cement block.
Wood is good but will
drink paint.
“Don’t be cheap with
paint, don’t paint on
metal—It’s better to put
panels over it,” she said.
The Georgia Economic
Development tourism
team study of Forsyth
opened opportunities for
various grants. So far,
in addition to the mural
grant, it has resulted in a
grant for signage to help
people know about and
find places of interest
around town and a grant
to upgrade Juliette Park
on the Ocmulgee River.
Stanbery emphasized
that as well as getting
attractions in place, it
is equally important to
get out the word about
them. Putting pamphlets
at the Welcome Centers
on the Georgia state lines
and developing good
relations with the staff
there pays dividends in
getting travelers to stop
in Middle Georgia. Take
advantage of the state
tourism offices tools to
promote the state and
have a presence on them
and constantly find
ways to update all media
information and keep it
fresh.
“Give them a reason to
stay and to stay longer,”
she said. “Start driving
traffic your way.”
$
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