New visitors center planned in Decatur

Jun. 12—A $1.4 million visitors center planned for Decatur would have a museum and corporate meeting room, and negotiations for a potential site near the Tennessee River are ongoing, the CEO of Decatur Morgan Tourism said.

Danielle Gibson said Thursday that she hopes to disclose the proposed site within three weeks, and it could partially open in the fall.

"We're finalizing negotiations. It's not a done deal," she said.

The tourism bureau's existing offices are in a former house at 719 6th Ave. S.E. The new location under consideration is close to Rhodes Ferry Park, according to Gibson.

"It'll be a high-traffic area, very visible and give us plenty of exposure. ... It will take about five years to be finished."

The Morgan County Commission has scheduled a public hearing before its 9 a.m. regular meeting Tuesday to discuss allocating $100,000 to the tourism bureau for the new center.

Gibson said the center may include a store, too.

"The museum section we're talking about with John Allison of the Morgan County Archives won't duplicate what they have, but we hope for it to be complementary of the archives. It will be river-related and feature the old town."

Financing for the project is coming in part from the tourism bureau's share of the city's 7% lodging tax. The bureau annually receives 64.3% of the tax. The city's fiscal 2022 budget projected $903,000 for the bureau, up from the $643,000 it received in fiscal 2021. Gibson said her office also has money in savings that "we have been building for a very long time and we also have a loan."

Morgan Commission Chairman Ray Long said the $100,000 distribution by the county will come from the American Rescue Plan Act funds. Morgan County received $23 million in ARPA funds and is being guided by Invest in Alabama Counties, a branch of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, on how the money can be spent. He said the county can safely give the money. Most of the ARPA money is earmarked for a new heating and cooling system for the courthouse, employee bonuses and a waiting/meeting room for up to 100 people on the north side of the courthouse.

"We'll be giving it to (the tourism bureau) unless something unusual comes out of the public hearing," Long said. "We're not expecting a huge crowd at the hearing."

He said the County Commission "strongly supports" a new visitors center.

"They do a lot of work for us and we give them an appropriation every year, and we're wanting to help them get a new place," Long said. "Currently, they are in an old house. They have to meet upstairs. Parking is very limited. They would like to have something more presentable, too. It's something the county and city needs."

He said the tourism personnel are the first people visitors wanting to bring a business or event to the area interact with.

"They're in that old house and it can be a distraction," he said. "We're really better than that. It's a very good investment for us. We're investing in our future."

Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling agreed with Long. "It's time for a new visitors center," he said. "They've been working hard to find the right place."

Gibson said the additional space and amenities at the planned center are for promoting what the area has to offer.

"We're not moving for our team," she said. "We want it for the community."

— mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.