Editor’s Note: Sunshine Request makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Buncombe County Submitted: January 21, 2020 | Updated: April 20, 2020
(January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020
Hello Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority,
I’d like to make public records request for the following information:
Please provide all BCTDA Annual Report documents starting with 2000-2001 (the beginning of the Tourism Product Development Fund) until Fiscal Year 2018-2019. [Editor’s Note: The requestor also indicated in the "Start Date / End date" section of the request form on our site that the requested info should include 01/01/2001 - 07/01/2020].
Please include all information especially concerning the Tourism Product Development Fund, the specific amounts of money allocated each year, the entities receiving funds, and how those funds were specifically used.
Thank you for your assistance!
Status: Completed
Activity:
-
April 20, 2020 3:35 pm
4 years ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
date: Apr 20, 2020, 3:35 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Good afternoon Kathi,
Sorry for the delayed reply on this!
Thank you for your help completing this request. We’ve marked it as completed on our site.
Hope you’re staying safe and well.
We appreciate your assistance,
Sunshine Request
Status: Completed -
April 9, 2020 5:44 am
4 years ago
from: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Apr 9, 2020, 5:44 AM
subject: RE: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Good morning.
All annual reports since 2002 have now been digitized and posted on the Explore Asheville CVB website. You can find them on Research & Reports page with the others: https://www.ashevillecvb.com/research-reports/. This should complete this request.
As a reminder:
o Annual reports for fiscal years 1999-2000 through 2001-2002 do not contain information about the Tourism Product Development Fund because the fund was not started until 2002.
o The annual report for fiscal year 2019-2020 will not be produced until September 2020.
If you have questions or further needs, please let me know.
KathiKathi M. Petersen
Director of Public Information & Community Engagement
Status: Response Received from Government -
March 20, 2020 3:37 pm
4 years ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
date: Mar 20, 2020, 3:37 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Good afternoon Kathi,
Hope you’ve been well.
We’re following up again on this request to see if there was any update to report since our last email on February 27th?
Thank you!
Sunshine Request
Status: Follow up -
February 27, 2020 12:50 pm
4 years ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
date: Feb 27, 2020, 12:50 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Good afternoon Kathi,
Thank you! Confirming receipt of your email.
We’ll follow up again in a few weeks if we haven’t heard anything before then.
We appreciate all your assistance,
Sunshine Request
Status: Government Processing Request -
February 24, 2020 9:09 am
4 years ago
from: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 24, 2020, 9:09 AM
subject: RE: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Hello. This request has been received and we will get back to you. Please be aware that this request will take time to complete.
Kathi
Kathi M. Petersen
Director of Public Information & Community EngagementExplore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
27 College Place | Suite 200 | Asheville, NC 28801
P: 828.318.8960 | C: 828.712.1286
[email protected]
Status: Government Processing Request -
February 21, 2020 3:03 pm
4 years ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
date: Feb 21, 2020, 3:03 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Good Afternoon Kathi,
Thank you for sending over this information – we really appreciate your help!
RE: “Hard copies of annual reports for fiscal years 2002-2003 through 2012-2013 are available for review at the offices of Explore Asheville.”
Would it be possible for you to please scan the hardcopy documents, and then provide us with an electronic copy via email? Alternatively, if that’s not possible, could you please scan and create copies of the documents themselves – We will be happy to come pick these up at your office when they’re ready.
RE: “The exception is 2004-2005. We have only a digital file of this annual report and it is in an old Pagemaker file, which we are unable to open.”
Can you please provide us with that digital file? We’re sure we can figure out a way to open it on our end!
Thanks again for your help!
Have a great weekend,
Sunshine Request
Status: Clarification Requested -
February 19, 2020 6:44 pm
4 years ago
from: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 19, 2020, 6:44 PM
subject: RE: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Hello, Sunshine Request. In response to your request of January 23, 2020:
BUNCOMBE COUNTY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ANNUAL REPORTS
o Annual reports for fiscal years 1999-2000 through 2001-2002 do not contain information about the Tourism Product Development Fund because the fund was not started until 2002.
o Hard copies of annual reports for fiscal years 2002-2003 through 2012-2013 are available for review at the offices of Explore Asheville. Please contact me at [email protected] to make an appointment to review these reports.
o The exception is 2004-2005. We have only a digital file of this annual report and it is in an old Pagemaker file, which we are unable to open.
o Annual reports from fiscal years 2013-2014 through 2018-2019 can be found on the Explore Asheville CVB website: www.ashevillecvb.com/research-reports/. Sales and marketing plans can also be found there.
o The annual report for fiscal year 2019-2020 will not be produced until September 2020.
o Not all of the aforementioned annual reports contain all of the information you are seeking, so we are also enclosing a document that lists all of the Tourism Product Development Fund grants, dates, requesting organizations, and the projects.. You can also find this information on our website in the document called “Complete List of TPDF Funded Projects”: https://www.ashevillecvb.com/product-development/
o It is important to understand that the grant amounts are sometimes amended through a public process.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE TOURISM PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FUND
o A TPDF Application Improvement Study was conducted in FY 2013-2014, with the goals of simplifying the application process, lowering the barrier to entry for applicants, fostering transparency, and clarifying guidelines and criteria. Strategies for improvement were identified and incorporated into the 2014 grant cycle.
o For-profit organizations are no longer eligible to apply for TPDF grants. Previous to this change in state law, the following businesses received funding for tourism product development: The Orange Peel, Smoky Mountain Adventure Center, Navitat Canopy Tours, Highland Brewing Company.
o There have been occasions when grants were approved but withdrawn before payment or paid but the project was not completed. These include:
o Moog Museum: $600,000 was requested and approved, but award was withdrawn when the project experienced delays in execution.
o The Health Adventure: $1.5 million was granted and paid in 2004 and 2007. Another $500,000 was granted in 2010, but never paid after The Health Adventure project declared bankruptcy due to the nonprofit’s ability to raise private funding was hampered by the Great Recession.
o NC Glass Center: $200,000 was awarded and then withdrawn by the applicant.
o City of Asheville: $975,000 was requested and approved for the Beaucatcher Greenway, then the City withdrew the applications.
o Haywood Congregation Fresco: $72,000 was requested and approved but the award was withdrawn before a contract was executed.
o Not listed on the TPDF Project overview is the African American Heritage Trail, which has received widespread publicity in recent weeks. The award was for a non-monetary grant, so it is not listed in this document.
If you have questions or further needs, please let me know.
Kathi
Kathi M. Petersen
Director of Public Information & Community Engagement**Editor’s Note: Please see referenced file at top left in documents
Status: Response Received from Government -
February 18, 2020 4:47 pm
4 years ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
date: Feb 18, 2020, 4:47 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Good afternoon Kathi,
Hope you’ve been well. We just wanted to follow up on this request to see if there was any update to report?
Thank you!
Sunshine Request
Status: Follow up -
January 30, 2020 1:05 pm
4 years ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
date: Jan 30, 2020, 1:05 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Good afternoon Kathi,
Thank you for your reply! Confirming receipt.
We’ll check back in again on this request in a week if we haven’t heard any updates before then.
We appreciate your assistance,
Sunshine Request
Status: Government Processing Request -
January 24, 2020 12:35 pm
4 years ago
from: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Jan 23, 2020, 12:35 PM
subject: RE: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Greetings, Sunshine Request.
This request has been received and we will be back with you soon.
Kathi
Kathi M. Petersen
Director of Public Information & Community Engagementcid:[email protected]
Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau27 College Place | Suite 200 | Asheville, NC 28801
P: 828.318.8960 | C: 828.712.1286
[email protected]
Status: Government Processing Request -
January 23, 2020 12:04 pm
4 years ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Kathi Petersen <[email protected]>
date: Jan 23, 2020, 12:04 PM
subject: Records Request: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020Good afternoon Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau,
We’ve received another public records request via our website www.sunshinerequest.com for information that may be available in your office.
Please confirm receipt to let us know the request will begin processing, and if possible, please provide a rough estimate of when the request may be completed. We will plan on following up again around that time.
Here are the details of the request:
Subject: (January 2020) Request for BCTDA annual reports 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020
Message: “Hello Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority,
I’d like to make public records request for the following information:
Please provide all BCTDA Annual Report documents starting with 2000-2001 (the beginning of the Tourism Product Development Fund) until Fiscal Year 2018-2019. [Editor’s Note: The requestor also indicated in the “Start Date / End date” section of the request form on our site that the requested info should include 01/01/2001 – 07/01/2020].
Please include all information especially concerning the Tourism Product Development Fund, the specific amounts of money allocated each year, the entities receiving funds, and how those funds were specifically used.
Thank you for your assistance!”
**Sunshine Request makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Thank you,
Sunshine Request
Status: Sent to Government -
January 21, 2020 4:37 pm
4 years ago
Submitted to Sunshine Request
Status: Pending