LTAC funding in Hoquiam comes as events begin to return

As more local events continue their planning to return to the area, the City of Hoquiam approved funding for a number of local events and facilities.

At their Monday meeting, the city council accepted the recommendations from the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) for 2021.

Out of a total of $82,200 currently in the LTAC Fund for the city, $44,500 will be distributed. 

Funding included;

Applicant Funding
City of Hoquiam Beautification Committee- Hanging Baskets and plants for planters $3,500
City of Hoquiam – Christmas Decorations $2,500
City of Hoquiam – Sunset Memorial Park landscaping $2,500
City of Hoquiam – Olympic Stadium Preservation Project $25,000
Loggers’ Playday Committee – publicity and advertising $3,500
Aberdeen Shakespearean Theatre – Central Playfield Show advertising $1,000
7th St. Theatre – marketing/adversising, rack cards, etc $3,000
Polson Museum – Directional aluminum street signs for Highway $3,500
Total Requested Funding $44,500

Among the applications, one applicant did not fall within the guidelines and was not considered.

This funding comes as more events continue their planning for a return as Grays Harbor remains in Phase 3, allowing for limited gatherings.

Also on Monday, Gov. Inslee announced the rollback of three counties not meeting the Phase 3 Healthy Washington metrics for reopening activities.

The three counties returning to Phase 2 are:

  • Cowlitz County
  • Pierce County
  • Whitman County

The next evaluation of counties will be in three weeks, on May 3.

“These metric trends are driven by the virus and we must continue to do everything we can to sharpen our focus and keep COVID-19 activity down. We are so close to the end of the tunnel here — we have made tremendous progress and we must keep our focus,” Inslee said. “It’s like a football game; we have done 95 yards on a 99 yard-drive. We can’t let up now. These are not punitive actions; they are to save lives and protect public health.”

Last Friday, the governor announced updates to the Healthy Washington criteria:

  1. In order to move down one phase, a county must fail both metrics for case counts and hospitalizations. Under the previous plan, a county only needed to fail one metric to move back a phase.
  2. The spectator events guidance is updated to make clear what is allowed for counties in Phase 2 and how these events are related to school graduation ceremonies. That guidance is available here.
  3. The Open Air Seating guidance is updated to allow flexibility for eating and drinking establishments. That guidance is available here
  4. The next evaluation of counties will be in three weeks, on May 3.

On Thursday, April 15, all Washingtonians (16+) will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. Combined with sustained mask usage, physical distancing and adhering to reopening guidance, increasing vaccination rates in all counties will hopefully help in preventing a rise in COVID-19 case numbers.

Read the rest of the story on the governor’s Medium page.