City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
Convention and Visitors Advisory Board  
300 S. Providence  
Monday, October 28, 2024  
Road - Walton Building  
12:00 PM  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
Richard Walls, chair, called the meeting to order at 12:03 pm.  
II. ROLL CALL & INTRODUCTIONS  
9 -  
Present:  
Barth Burgin, Heather Hargrove, Rusty Strodtman, Aric Jarvis, Scott Cristal, Richard  
Walls, Kristopher Kunz, Jamie Varvaro and Lori Lammers  
3 - Melody Marcks, Donald Laird and Raman Puri  
Excused:  
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) staff members Amy Schneider, Julie Ausmus,  
and Trevor Bradley were also present.  
Members of the public included John Poses, representing the “We Always Swing” Jazz  
Series; Nickie Davis, representing The District; Justin Aldred, representing the Boone  
County Commission; Jeff Patrick, Dwain Roberts, Caroline Roberts, and Samantha  
Mullings, representing the Wingate Inn & Staybridge Suites hotel properties; and Anthony  
Barnett.  
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
Jarvis motioned to approve the agenda, Cristal seconded. All in favor. Agenda  
approved as is.  
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
Revisions were made to the September Meeting Minutes prior to entertaining a  
motion to approve the minutes. Jarvis motioned to approve the revised  
September Meeting Minutes, Cristal seconded. All in favor. Minutes approved as  
is.  
Attachments: September 30, 2024 Meeting Minutes  
V. NEW BUSINESS  
Attachments: WASJ Signature Series application  
Jon Poses presented a Tourism Development Fund Signature Series Application to the  
board. The “We Always Swing” Jazz Series is requesting $20,000 in funding to offset  
expenditures for its 2025 season. The 2025 “We Always Swing” Jazz Series is the 30th  
anniversary season. Funding of this season’s series would support three (3) distinct  
events. The events include the Annual Dr. Carlos & Laura Perez-Mesa Memorial Concert  
on March 20; the Bobby Watson Repertoire Retrospective - an International Jazz Day  
celebration with the 18-piece Columbia Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Bobby  
Watson on April 30; and a signed poster exhibit: “1995/2025 - ‘We Always Swing’” that  
will be on display and available for sale between April 12 and May 3.  
Time was provided for members to review and score the application.  
Hargrove made a motion to support funding the “We Always Swing” Jazz Series  
at a level of $10,000; Strodtman seconded. Cristal abstained from voting due to  
personal reasons, and Jarvis abstained due to business interests. It was noted  
that the Jazz Series utilizes The Broadway as its host hotel. All other members  
voted in favor. Motion carried.  
Consideration of a new hotel nuisance ordinance  
Schneider sought input from the board on a potential new hotel nuisance ordinance. The  
primary goal of such an ordinance would be to reduce the negative impact that certain  
nuisance activities can have on local businesses, visitor experience, and the City in  
general. This will help to ensure that hotels are not only meeting minimum safety  
standards but also creating an environment that is conducive to a positive and peaceful  
stay for guests. The nuisance would target habitual issues, such as excessive noise,  
repeated incidents of criminal activity, and non-compliance with safety regulations.  
Currently, the City has a Chronic Nuisance Property ordinance that targets nuisance  
activities at residential properties but does not specifically include hotels. A hotel specific  
nuisance ordinance or the expansion of the current ordinance to include hotels would help  
hold hotel ownership accountable by requiring corrective action. Failure to comply would  
lead to fines or suspension of business licenses in extreme cases. Ideally, the ordinance  
would provide a better path for implementation of corrective measures, connecting law  
enforcement with hotel management, and ensuring staff are properly trained to handle  
potential issues.  
Schneider noted that St. Charles, Kansas City, and St. Louis all have ordinances in place  
that either specifically or more broadly target nuisances at hotel properties, which have  
worked to some effectiveness.  
Patrick commented on repeated nuisances at a neighboring hotel property that are having  
a negative impact on the safety and overall experience of guests at the Wingate Inn, and  
he claimed that the new ordinance would allow corrective action from the top-down, rather  
than allowing the same violations to continue. Strodtman expressed concern that an  
ordinance specifically for hotels would not resolve the issue, when other businesses deal  
with the same nuisances. Hargrove questioned whether a new ordinance would truly be  
executed and enforced, as many of the current problems should be resolved without the  
ordinance, and she called on other City departments to step in and enforce  
consequences for violations. Jarvis expressed concern about the potential unintended  
consequence of punishing hotels that are attempting to comply with the inability of hotel  
staff to really solve the problem of individuals causing nuisances. Schneider will gather  
the board's questions and consult with relevant City staff and the City Manager, providing  
a report at the next board meeting. She clarified that her goal was to gather the board's  
input on whether the ordinance is necessary and should be forwarded to City staff for  
further discussion.  
VII. OLD BUSINESS  
Update on the Convention Center Feasibility Study  
Tyler Othen of CSL International virtually provided an update on the City’s Convention  
Center Feasibility Study. CSL International completed surveys with event planners,  
including 40 interviews with state and regional associations representing more than 200  
total events and 13 professional meeting planners representing more than 50 total events.  
Stakeholder feedback indicated a need for a large civic, multi-use convention facility with  
an attached hotel and that a public-private partnership (P3) is preferred. The consultants  
have analyzed Columbia’s local market, including drive time accessibility, the local hotel  
and meeting space inventory, a local attractions inventory, and a visitor analysis. The  
consultants also analyzed competitive markets’ event space inventory to best determine  
what sort of facility would be ideal in Columbia.  
Over the next several weeks, CSL International will finalize a site evaluation, prepare a  
cost/benefit analysis, and complete a written report.  
VI. REPORTS  
October CVB Staff Report & Updates  
Attachments: BoardReport_October24.pdf  
The October CVB Staff Report was shared with board members for review.  
Report from The District  
Davis shared that The District has officially launched its new gift card program, which  
currently includes 53 local, downtown shops. The District gift cards are eligible for use at  
all participating shops. Davis also shared that many of the downtown businesses are  
beginning to set up their holiday displays.  
Report from the Boone County Commission  
Aldred provided an account of recent updates from the Boone County Commission.  
Boone County, in partnership with the City of Columbia, has released a comprehensive  
housing study that includes an examination of current housing trends, demands, and  
disparities throughout the City and County. The Boone County Commission has approved  
$2.5 million in funding for a new childcare center for public safety workers. Aldred also  
shared that the Boone County Commission recently secured strong Aa1 and Aa2 credit  
ratings from Moody’s Investor Service.  
VIII. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF  
There were no other comments.  
IX. NEXT MEETING DATE  
November 25, 2024  
X. ADJOURNMENT  
Jarvis made a motion to adjourn, Cristal seconded. All voted in favor of  
adjourning at 2:06 pm.  
Members of the public may attend any open meeting. For requests for accommodations related to  
disability, please call 573-874-CITY (573-874-2489) or email CITY@CoMo.gov. In order to assist staff in  
making the appropriate arrangements for your accommodation, please make your request as far in  
advance of the posted meeting date as possible.  
USB DRIVES PROHIBITED: Due to cybersecurity concerns, flash drives and other media devices  
are no longer permitted for delivering files or presentation materials. A speaker who desires to  
display a presentation must upload the presentation, in advance, to the city network using an  
upload portal. To upload your files and learn more, visit CoMo.gov/upload. (Effective Jan. 1,  
2023)