Newly flush Tourism Commission welcomes Midway's Cortney Neikirk, discusses how to hire its own staff

Left to right: Cortney Neikirk, Elisha Holt, Maria Bohanan, Neil Vasilakes, Ken Kerkhoff, Aaron Smither and Lee Thomas.

By Dalton Stokes

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Woodford County Tourism Commission is looking for its first director, in the wake of a major increase in bed-tax income from the new hotel in Versailles. The seven-member board is vetting 11 candidates, including one who has been meeting with the commission as a virtual member for months.

The commission meeting last Thursday was the last at the Chamber of Commerce office in Versailles and the first for the newly appointed representative of Midway on the commission, Cortney Neikirk. The discussion included the possibility of a mural in Midway like those in Versailles.

Director hiring: With the opening of the first modern hotel in Woodford County, the Holiday Inn Express and Suites, the commission has money to hire its own director rather than contracting with the Chamber. Woodford County imposes a 3 percent tax on overnight stays within the county; until the hotel opened last September, the only tax revenue was from bed-and-breakfast places.

This money generated by this tax increased by $67,005, and the commission has about $101,000 available to spend, according to financial statements at the meeting.

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As the commission discussed the process for filling the position, Commissioner Neil Vasilakes said, “There are some rumors going around that we’re not following a process and we have a shoo-in person.”

Commission Chair Maria Bohanan said the commission needs a clear process for this so that no questions can be raised about their choice. “Whatever we do,” she said, “we want it above board.”

One of the candidates for the position is Elisha Holt, who coordinates events for the City of Versailles and the Midway Business Association. She is an “ex officio” member of the commission, and will not participate in the selection, Bohanan said during the meeting.

Asked after the meeting about that "ex officio" term, Bohanan said Holt began serving last year, thinking that County Judge-Executive John Coyle had appointed her, but it turned out he had not completed the paperwork before he died, and new Judge-Executive James Kay said Holt could keep serving but has not actually appointed her.

Kay said Monday that he hasn’t appointed Holt because she does not live in Woodford County and is not affiliated with a local hotel or restaurant, which would otherwise qualify her for an appointment.

The commission mostly discussed the criteria matrix that may narrow down the candidates before interviewing. Commissioner Aaron Smither opposed using the matrix, saying they should interview all the candidates and use their better judgement to pick the right person. 

Bohanan’s proposed matrix has five criteria for the job. She proposed that if the candidate meets three of the five criteria, they get an interview. She also said she wants to do the interviews “pageant-style,” using an scoring system in which each member independently rates the candidates.

Bohanan said that would provide a paper trail for both the decision on whom to interview and on who gets picked for the job, in the interest of transparency.

Versailles City Council Member Ken Kerkhoff, another commissioner, voiced the need to expedite the process. He said the person hired ample time to give two weeks’ notice to current employers. Bohanan said that they need someone in place by Nov. 1.

Some commissioners wanted the matrix to be more detailed. After not much agreement on that, the commission agreed to read all 11 applicants’ resumes over the weekend and decide the matrix more later. They set the first interviews for Friday, Sept. 27.

Murals: The commission has commissioned two murals in Versailles, and discussed the potential for a mural in Midway after they. Neikirk said that she could find someone who would be interested in providing a wall and funding, and that she already had someone in mind.

Bohanan said, “Cortney is going to be a valuable resource.”  Neikirk is president of the Midway Business Association and co-owner of 2 Ladies and a Kettle and Midway Sweet Tooth. She replaces Cynthia Bohn of Equus Run Vineyards, who said she lacked the time to serve.

Stephen Sawyer has almost completed the horse-farm mural. (Photo by Dalton Stokes)

A mural being painted on the drug store at the west end of Lexington Street in Versailles by local artist Stephen Sawyer features the names of contributing horse farms on jockey shirts of different designs. Kerkhoff said that the mural was going well and that there were some racing syndicates interested in getting their names on the mural.

He opposed that, noting that the county’s tourism slogan is “Bourbon, wine and bloodlines.” He added, ”You can’t tour a racing syndicate” like you can a horse farm. 

Other Business: The commission made a tentative decision to not buy an ad in the 2020 edition of the Kentucky Travel Guide, partly because the guide will list local accommodations anyway. The commission passed around copies of their ad last from last year and agreed it was lackluster. The ad would cost around $3,600 and it would be a quarter-page ad.

Smither asked why the commission’s money isn’t accruing interest. According to the minutes of a previous meeting, it is “spending conservatively until they have a cohesive plan of action put together.” He agreed to look into money-market options and get back to the commission at its next regular meeting, which will be held at the Versailles Municipal Building at 9 a.m. Oct. 17.

The commission plans to establish a still hasn’t decided where to put the visitor center but is weighing two options: at the Gathered Mercantile at Amsden on Nov. 1, Bohanan saidand the Historical Society. The Gathered Mercantile offered to create space for brochures, an office, shared wi-fi and labor for $400 per month. The Historical Society offered space rent-free, but it would not be available for another year.

(The paragraph above has been corrected after publication.)