Visitors to Johnson County who want information on the county’s water parks, festivals or wineries will be able to go to a visitor center next year.
Johnson County’s Convention, Visitors and Tourism Commission is seeking to rent space from the city of Franklin to open a center that would host 3-D exhibits that highlight tourist destinations in the county.
The space is at 66 S. Water St., and is attached to Franklin City Hall.
The building was used for non-profit storage for years, was converted to a cafe and leased by Franklin College and used as classroom space for the college’s graduate program in physical training. The space has been empty since the college moved out, although the college had considered other uses for the building.
Starting in January, visitors to the county will be able to visit the space and get tourist information about the county.
A visitor center is listed as one of the top two priorities in a long term plan for the commission, which has dubbed itself Festival Country Indiana. The commission is seeking to get input on the plan from county and city leaders, said Kenneth Kosky, director of tourism for Festival Country Indiana.
City leaders are currently working on a lease agreement for the commission. The commission will likely pay $500 a month and would share the space with a second, undisclosed tenant that will likely also pay $500. The city’s information technology director will also share the space, Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett said.
Commission members hope that the visitor’s center itself will be a tourist destination. The center will have 3-D exhibits that could change out seasonally. For example, a slide could be in the center to highlight the county’s water parks. That could then be changed to an exhibit in the fall that could highlight apple orchards in the county, Kosky said.
“We want to have a dynamic interactive space that would engage the visitor and urge them to go out in each of our communities and explore what our communities have to offer,” he said.
A physical visitor’s center is the traditional model used by other communities, Kosky said.
Visitors can go into a building, pick up a brochure and ask questions in other communities in central Indiana.
In Hendrick’s County, tourists can visit the office building that houses staff on the downtown square in Danville to pick up a brochure and ask questions. Hancock County opened a visitor’s center in its current location in 2017. Hamilton County visitors can visit an information center next to the staff offices and other information is available at kiosks at some event centers in the county, according to tourism employees in those counties.
The commission has budgeted for a second employee this year, although the employee has not been hired. Currently, Kosky is the sole paid employee of the commission. This year’s budget for the commission was $520,000, with more than half of the budget going to marketing costs. The commission had budgeted $128,000 for salaries. About $39,000 of that was slated for additional staffing, Kosky said.
The county tourism commission is funded by an innkeepers tax, which charges an added 5 percent on local hotel and motel stays and brings in about $500,000 per year. Spending decisions are made by an appointed board.
Hours have not been set for the center, expected to open in January 2020, but the commission is looking to open up at key times, such as Friday evenings and Saturdays. Commission members are also exploring opening on other weekdays and possibly Sundays.
