OC PRT Commission schedules vote on Grants

On Thursday, Aug. 30, the Oconee County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Commission meets to vote on grants. These funds are meant to attract visitors to the county, explains Oconee County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Phil Shirley. “This grant money comes from the Accommodations Tax, so any time a visitor stays in either a hotel, camp ground or rents a lake house, all that money comes back by law and we have to use it to encourage additional visitor traction back into Oconee County. That is one of the key things that the commission looks for is will the applicant be able to draw outsiders into Oconee County. If it is solely a local event and it pretty much benefits local citizens, those are all great events, but this pot of money is not the right pot of money to go after for that. We have a great list of applicants and lots of very well needed projects, so I’m looking forward to how we may can assist those.” The noon meeting at the Oconee Heritage Center, 123 Brown’s Square Drive in Walhalla, is open to the public.