This past week, the Pioche Chamber of Commerce gathered to help figure out how to promote their city and provide fun activities for their community. Before the meeting came to order, the chamber was happy to welcome a few new members. This backup is very much needed to keep the chamber up and running.
Once the meeting officially began, the chamber heard from a Thompson Opera House committee member. He had relatively little to report, except that he was going to reactivate the phone line due to the higher level of tourism during this time of the year. He also reported that the March 31 bluegrass concert is still on schedule and that there’s a movie being shot in May that will include a few shots in the Opera House.
The member committee addressed issues such as no one using the online membership applications, which forces the chamber to spend unnecessary amounts of money on postage. They invited everyone to check out the new website and to pay their dues through that means, since there are few people (outside of those that attend the chamber of commerce meetings) that actually fund the chamber.
One of the newest members, Tara, was introduced to her responsibilities as a member of the Grants committee. Her experience with grants in the past makes her an asset to the committee.
It was reported that there are two grants being applied for at this point, and that the committee might start work on another one to help update the town’s sign on Main Street, which has begun to fade.
After a quick update from the website committee, the chamber moved on to the subject of Labor Day, finally revealing the theme for this year’s parade: “Your Favorite Season/Time of Year.” They also reported that, while the room tax board is on the next agenda, they had not yet discussed much-needed funds to help keep the Labor Day celebration alive. These funds would help pay for the fireworks and the softball tournament that have become staples of the yearly celebration.
Next was the beautification committee, which made the case that there are a lot of properties that need to be cleaned up or condemned due to damages and thefts in the town, resulting in a few broken windows and some missing property. They added that most of these properties belong to a few families, and that they are still working with the county district attorney to act upon their community standards legislation. They did, however, admit that some of these properties had been improved since the last time the chamber met, though there was still a lot of work to do.
Another property the committee cited as dangerous was the old Mountain View building, which is sliding into the back of the Million-Dollar Courthouse. The committee noted that the building is a danger to the community and needs to be torn down.
They wrapped up by saying that they had secured a few new volunteers, and that they are also happy to have a new antiques shop opening up on Main Street.
The chamber then moved on to elections, but they could not technically vote anyone into office since they had a lack of quorum, though they did confirm that some of the current officers would retain their positions.
Next, the chamber addressed the upcoming “Nerf War” fundraiser to be held on March 26 at 1 p.m. The time and date were finalized, as was the location (the Pioche Town Hall), and the prices for nerf gun rentals and refreshments.
The chamber also discussed the other fundraiser currently in full swing: the flag fundraiser. They have currently sold 55 flag kits and are expecting to sell many more, but have hit a snag. Due to some fine print concerning fundraising, the company that the chamber is getting its flags from will not offer free shipping.
There was a discussion about having someone going to Salt Lake to pick up the flags, but that idea is still being mulled over.
The chamber of commerce stated that they will do anything they can to make sure that the flags make it to Pioche.
