Chamber to do U.S. marketing campaign

In a show of support for the “Re-Inventing Fort Frances” project, the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce has committed itself to a marketing campaign to promote the Fort Frances area in the United States.
While the board of directors agreed on this about two weeks ago, the move was officially announced by Chamber president Alan Tibbetts at Monday night’s council meeting.
“What the Chamber is doing is getting behind the ‘Re-Inventing Fort Frances’ project,” he remarked. “It’s a three-year program, which will be happening September, 2003 to September, 2006.”
The $276,000 initiative will see the area promoted in print media and on television throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota.
“We’ll be working very hard to bring people over the border into Fort Frances,” said Tibbetts. “We want them eating here, shopping here—generally, spending money.
“We want to see our town prosper. We’re stepping up to the plate with this contribution,” he added.
The Chamber has struck a committee for the marketing campaign, but many of the details still have to be sorted out prior to the September launch.
In related news, the town committee appointed to talk with the Ontario Realty Corp. will meet yet again with it Friday to discuss the possibility of a building a new Ontario Travel Centre and Tourism Centre here.
“There is progress being made,” Fort Frances CAO Bill Naturkach said of the talks over the past few months between himself, EDO Geoff Gillon, Bruce Spottiswood, acting manager of Operations and Facilities, deputy mayor Deane Cunningham, and the ORC.
But he could not elaborate as to whether a new, larger tourist facility will be built here, or where it would be located.
Previous documents, such as the “Re-Inventing Fort Frances” final report delivered to council in April, have indicated it would be ideal to have such a facility located further east on Church Street and not the corner where it is now.
As far as any other “Re-Inventing” plans, such as a “gateway” bridge enhancement, they’re on hold until the Rainy River Future Development Corp. acquires provincial and federal funding to hire a “Re-Inventing” project co-ordinator.
(Fort Frances Times)