Bayfield town trustees approved hiring a consultant on Jan. 5 to create a "brand" to promote the town.
They approved Town Manager Chris La May's recommendation to contract with Avant Marketing Group to do the work with a maximum cost of $22,500. It will be funded by a state grant through the Southwest Colorado Council of Governments, and a 25 percent town match.
The grant will be administered by the Southwest COG. Similar grants were awarded to Ignacio, Pagosa Springs, and Silverton to implement recommendations from downtown redevelopment assessments by Downtown Colorado Inc.
The two-day Bayfield assessment was in March 2015. Branding was one of the recommendations that came out of that.
La May said that in September 2015, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) awarded a $125,000 grant over two years to the COG for main street redevelopment in the four towns. Each community is awarded $31,250 with an $18,750 local match over a two-year period. The COG retains 10 percent for grant administration services.
Bayfield's first year project is consultant assistance with the branding and marketing campaign. The town advertised for proposals and got 12 responses. A selection committee recommended Avant Marketing, La May said in his staff report.
The town held community meetings on business development and retention on May 29 and June 25 in 2015, and a community visioning forum in 2014 to find out what people value about Bayfield and what they want for the future. A series of community development meetings were held in 2008 and concluded at the same time the national economy was tanking. Those meetings resulted in a long to-do list, some of which have been accomplished since then.
