LT-2021-003 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Response 2.1 * Response 2.2 * Application Questions: ParI 2 V\fty wcruld torirists travel to Kjj.ljtas &unty to aitend your evenUactivitylfacility? The Horse Park is currently rated the best in the state for hosting large horse events as indicated in survey responses from show organizers. We've achieved this level due to the quality of our facilities and knouiledgeable customer service. Without a covered arena \ffe have only been able to host medium-large events from May-September or just 40% of the year. The covered arena will provide a venue for year-round activities that currently doesn't exist in upper Kittitas county. ln addition, our largest shor,ris want to grow but are unable to until we add more competiton space, wtrich the covered arena also addresses. Finally, trc're excited by the possibilities for hosting non-equine activitres such as food or brewfests. concerts, expos and shorir,s of various types and even a winter sports staging area. 2500 character lirril Escribe the prio' success o{ your evenlactivilyfacility in attraction tourists. Our target market includes Washington, Oregon, ldaho, Montana, California, and Btitish Columbia and is comprised of very diverse english and ra,estern horse related interests and disciplines. A major goal for the Park is to book large shorrs of 1 50+ horses that run 2-4+ days thereby causing more vrsitors to stay overnight.Overnight stays increase Park revenues from stall fees, RV camper hook-ups, arena fees and other use charges. Having people stay overnight also increases opportunities for visitors to patronize local businesses. We have been able to build and maintairr pariicipation in our larger, multi-day events that have significant influence on the number of total visitor days the Park generates. A portion of the nredium and smaller size events change each year as organizers seek a new experience or need to rotate to other geographic areas to serve their constituents. For that reason. vr,e believe the best measure for evaluating the Park's success in contribLtting to economic impact is by looking at the overall totals of all activities for the season. We obtained residence information kom4,O52 visitors in2019, who came from throughout Washington, 13 other states, Canada and a few foreign countries. The overall number of visitor days has been fairly constant over the past few years because r,ve have just four outdoor arenas to rent. We critically need a flfth arena and a covered competition space in orderto growthe size, diversity and lengih of season ue can host events. Thankfully, the new covered arena will address these limitations starting in 2021 extending our season from23 to 33 weekends and adding more competition space. A covered arena will also attract local riders at all times of the year and especially off season. The attached Economics Metrics Table reflects total visitors for the past five years and in 2019. This table tracks growth in total visitor traffic and annual economic benefits. With the opening of the covered arena \ € expeci the grordh trend to pickup starting in 2A21 by about 10%, but it will take several years to realize its full potential in attracting visitors and driving economic benefits.. 2500 character lin"il 3llmpact