Brewery Arts Center among 25 recipients of TravelNevada grant funds

The Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) approved $200,000 in grant funding for infrastructure projects, Nevada Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison announced today.

The Projects Relating to Tourism Grants are distributed by the Nevada Division of Tourism (TravelNevada) every other year and fund such capital improvement endeavors as visitor kiosks and interpretive signs.

The Brewery Arts Center in Carson City is among the 25 grant recipients this year and is being awarded $3,500 to expand its Harmony Sculpture Park.

Funds will be used towards the purchase of the Flower Collection instruments and the Lilypad Cymbals instruments, the grant report said.

This collection consists of four brightly colored in-ground "flowers" with all the flowers having different notes, heights, and colors, the report said.

The collection will look and sound like an enchanted musical garden.

The layered placement of the discs will make players want to try dozens of combinations of play. With three mallets, this can be played by 1-3 players. Each instrument is supplied with two durable mallets attached with coated steel cables.

Harmony Sculpture Park is located directly across the street from the Historic Blue Line walking tour in downtown Carson City, and is situated in between two of the murals at Brewery Art Center; right in the heart of the two block arts campus.

In the summer months alone, the grant report said, the Brewery Arts Center Campus is flooded with an estimated 2,500 visitors each week and these instruments are already a destination for citizens and visitors as well as a source of civic pride.

This expansion of the park is sure to enhance the experience for all who visit, the report said, helping to fulfill their mission to the community at large.

Other notable grant recipients this year include the city of Wells, which seeks to repair the roof of its Trail Center building; and Indian Territory, a group that promotes cultural tourism throughout the state, to move and expand the American Indian exhibit at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

“This grant program helps Nevada communities make infrastructure improvements that will enhance the visitor experience,” Hutchison, NCOT chairman, said. “That’s important because visitors, and the business they bring to Nevada, are crucial to our economy. About $3.2 billion in state and local tax revenue is generated by the travel industry.”

Twenty-five projects received Projects Relating to Tourism grants. This grant program, which funds infrastructure projects, is separate from TravelNevada’s Rural Marketing Grant Program, which funds marketing projects and disperses grants twice a year.

This year's TravelNevada funded projects include:

— The city of Wells received $20,000 to pay a portion of the cost of a new roof for its Trail Center facility, which was rendered uninhabitable by an earthquake in 2008.

Once the roof is completed, repairs can begin on the building’s interior, which houses the Chamber of Commerce, the Trail of the 49ers museum and interpretive center and the Society for the Preservation of Western Heritage.

— A $20,000 grant was awarded to Indian Territory to expand and move the American Indian exhibit currently in a secured area at Reno-Tahoe International Airport to a larger area outside of the security gates, where it can be viewed by arriving and departing passengers.

— The Boys & Girls Club of Mason Valley got $15,000 to help pay for additional sod at the Lyon County property used to stage the popular Night in the Country music festival. The plan is to increase the current 5,000 feet of grassy area to 100,000 feet, improving the experience of festival-goers.

— A $5,000 grant was given to the White Pine Country Golf Course in Ely to create signs to highlight facility amenities, including the 18-hole course, clubhouse, pro shop, driving range and more. The existing sign also will be refurbished.

— The Carson Valley Visitors Authority received $23,493 to implement a way-finding signage program that will link Carson Valley’s historical, cultural and recreational resources.

— The Virginia City Tourism Commission received $2,000 to purchase and distribute light beacons through the town of Virginia City.

This project is using new technology to more completely utilize the history, buildings and people of Virginia City, the grant report said.

One hundred beacons will be installed throughout the historic district and will communicate with Virginia City's recently updated mobile app, enabling its users to send push notification to visitors within a pre-arranged distance from the beacons.

The beacons will also be used to update their audio tour as location markers for various downtown events.

Funds will also be used to help educate the VCTC staff and merchants on proper beacon operation.

Using the beacons is about more than just deploying them, for the VCTC, it is about rethinking the visitor experience in town.

The beacons will enable the VCTC to distribute historical facts, great deals and happenings around town to our visitors instantaneously.

Through use of the beacons, the VCTC hopes to increase engagement among merchants, visitors and locals alike, the report said.

Furthermore, grant funds will help offset costs to update the Virginia City mobile app to allow for beacon usage as well as the annual hosting costs.

Click here for a complete list of grants awarded.