300th-anniversary group asks county for $250,000

New Bern's 300th Anniversary Committee is asking the Craven County Board of Commissioners for a quarter million dollars to help pay for its year-long celebration.

The commissioners received the request this week Bill Naumann, chairman of the celebration group. The commissioners took no action, but in comments made at the end of the meeting they appeared to be favorably disposed toward helping.

"We believe that the year-long celebration justifies the expenditure of funds requested on the basis of tourism expenditures during the year," Naumann said, "as well as economic and industrial development exposure on a national and international scale."

He said a conservative estimate is that the county would get more than $300,000 in sales and occupancy tax as visitors come for the celebration events. The projected visitor spending is $11.8 million.

The proposed $2.2 million budget for planning, promoting and implementing the year-long celebration would include $1 million from New Bern, $600,000 from the state, $350,000 from private sources and $250,000 from Craven County.

The city's direct contribution is to be $750,000 with another $250,000 as a match for state money.

Naumann said the celebration committee's estimates of economic benefit are "very conservative and have been determined in accordance with historical data and Tourism Development Authority practice."

"As a point of reference," he said, "the actual economic benefit of the Pepsi 100th Celebration, which included only three weekends of events, was $4,473,000."

He said the celebration of the 300th anniversary is also the celebration of 300 years of history for the state and the county.

Commissioners' Chairman Jason Jones said he thinks the county should help with New Bern's celebration but asked, "What is the city going to do with this quarter million dollars? They can't have a parade every day."

Commissioner Renee Sisk said she also thinks some support is appropriate.

"We do have to give this great consideration," she said. "I do think every dime we spend we will get back but we are spending taxpayers' dollars."