Visit North Platte has been awarding Improvement Fund Grants annually for the past
seventeen years. Over this seventeen year span, the organization have committed a total of $3.2 million to improving
tourism facilities and services in Lincoln County.
On August 23, 2023, the Visit North Platte
Board of Directors met to review applications and hear presentations from four local
organizations before awarding this funding for an eighteenth consecutive year. The day ended with the
largest commitment for a single grant cycle in the organization’s history with $2.7 million
being awarded.
Not only does this bring the total amount of Improvement Fund Grants
awarded from Visit North Platte to $5.9 million, but it also showcases the continued success of
the travel and tourism industry in Lincoln County.
The money that falls into the Improvement Fund of Visit North Platte is generated entirely by
a lodging tax on overnight lodging in the county. With ongoing efforts from Visit North
Platte, tourism has seen bright moments in North Platte and the surrounding area, which makes
these funds a force for improving not only the services provided to visitors, but also for
enhancing the quality of life for the residents of our communities.
The applications reviewed in this week’s meeting had a total of $2.75 million in requests for
projects representing a total investment of $48.8 million in improvements to area historical
and recreational facilities.
If you think about the history of the fund in Lincoln County, the
Improvement Fund Grant guidelines, and the precedence set by seventeen years of previous
recommendations and awards, the Board of Directors at Visit North Platte have chosen to
provide the following funding.
The Board of Directors agreed in $9,116 in funding for the Carriage House
project at the Lincoln County Historical Museum. Jim Griffin presented an
Improvement Fund Grant application to replace the roof on the historical Carriage
House with a new wood shingle roof.
The Lincoln County Historical Museum is known as a
local treasure, proven by the fact that visitation has grown from 7,500 annually to
more than 24,000 under the curatorship of Jim Griffin. Maintaining the condition and
historical integrity of the artifacts, including the historical buildings, is an important
part of attracting these visitors.
The Board of Directors approved $56,000 in funding to Legion Baseball as well for the
purchase and installation of a tie back system at Bill Wood Field. Currently, the
backstop system at Bill Wood Field between home plate and the spectator areas.
