DUNCANSVILLE — Borough Council expressed its support for Explore Altoona’s ongoing effort against decertification during its Monday night meeting.

Patrick Shurr, director of partnership development for Explore Altoona, addressed the board alongside Explore Altoona board member Jeffrey Cipriani with a plea for the council to consider the local economic benefit driven by the destination marketing organization.

County Commissioners Dave Kessling and Amy Webster took the first step toward decertifying Explore Altoona as the official tourism promotion agency for Blair County in a meeting on Sept. 17, with further action looming.

According to Pennsylvania Act 18 of 2016, each county in the commonwealth may designate a local tourism promotion agency, and can levy up to a 5% bed tax on hotel rooms to fund the TPA.

The legislation also outlines the process for decertifying a TPA — requiring municipal entities representing more than or equal to 65% of the county’s population to adopt resolutions in support of the effort in order to proceed.

The commissioners have not distributed letters to municipal governments requesting their support for decertification, according to a Mirror report on Oct. 2

Schurr said that Explore Altoona has worked for over a decade to promote the hospitality industry in Blair County, as well as the restaurants, attractions and outdoor recreational trails in the area.

“That is our job — to promote and market the area,” Schurr said.

According to Schurr, the commissioners want to use the bed tax revenue that is currently allocated to Explore Altoona to develop trails and outdoor recreational assets in Blair County, which is “not compliant with the law.”

Schurr introduced Cipriani, who is also the general manager of Hampton Inn Altoona, to talk about what the TPA does to support local hospitality.

The Hampton Inn’s two largest customer demographics are business travelers and leisure travelers, Cipriani said. So decertifying Explore Altoona would “negatively impact” similar local hotels and attractions due to a decline in leisure travel spending that would occur without the TPA’s marketing efforts.

“That means without a designated DMO, we stand to lose about 35% of our revenues,” Cipriani said.

Explore Altoona has contributed to a 37% increase in travel spending over the past decade, Schurr said, noting that the county saw $371 million in total tourism spending in 2022, which is the most recent data available.

According to Schurr, Explore Altoona and a potential local trail development organization could coexist successfully.

While Explore Altoona supports the creation of a Blair County trail authority that would develop outdoor recreation assets, Schurr said, this authority should be funded through another revenue stream, not with bed tax income.

The TPA has even spent $20,000 marketing Rails to Trails of Central Pennsylvania in recent years, Schurr said, which represents Explore Altoona’s support for outdoor recreation.

“We are ready and willing to keep doing our jobs,” Schurr said.

Borough Council President Annette Lewis said she is opposed to the decertification of Explore Altoona, based on previous positive interactions with the TPA.

The borough has not received any communication from the commissioners regarding the decertification effort since the initial vote in September, Lewis said.

“I personally would be happy to write a letter (in support of Explore Altoona), because I have worked with your group with Rails to Trails,” Lewis said.

Lewis said after the meeting that she is “absolutely supportive” of Explore Altoona, since the TPA has offered guidance to municipal officials on how to attract business activity in the borough.

“We’ve attended some meetings with Explore Altoona and I really am impressed with what they do,” Lewis said, “and I’m very discouraged that the commissioners basically said, ‘Let’s decertify them,’ without having a true plan in place for those funds.”

Other business

Mayor Eric Fritz updated the board on the ongoing construction efforts at the Community Center, which has been undergoing a suite of renovations and tech upgrades since the summer.

According to Fritz, the team working on the Center is making steady progress, and he expects the Center to be ready to use in time for the General Election on Nov. 5, where the Center will serve as a local polling location.

Fritz also mentioned his interest in expanding the scope of Duncansville Community Days, which is a non-taxpayer-funded organization run by the borough.

According to Fritz, the Community Days foundation board is exploring the potential for an Easter parade in April, and a possible name change to match the foundation’s revised mission.

“I don’t want people to hear about Community Days and think it’s just that third weekend in July,” Fritz said.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.