LITTLE GEMS
The City of Lake Geneva again moves to ‘prop up’ the Lake Geneva Regional News.
The ‘official’ newspaper of the city now gets to be the paid producers of the filming of the Christmas Parade the city will put on before Christmas. This conclusion was presented at the BID meeting on Wednesday morning, by Dianna, the representative who appears monthly to update the BID board on what VISIT Lake Geneva is up to.
Deanna informed the board that the Regional News would be handling the video ‘filming’ of the parade without other comments. When queried in writing about this fact by the Geneva Shore Report Staff, in writing (because the GSR does more video work in and around Lake Geneva than any other entity…and nearly thirty times what the Regional News does) Deanna wrote back that VISIT could not consider the GSR because the Regional News work was covered as part of a much larger advertising package.
What? What much larger advertising package and, since when does the selecting of an operation that basically doesn’t do video work on a regular basis, over others well experienced in performing such work make any sense at all, particularly when the GSR would be willing to do the work for free (as was offered).
Just how much money is the Regional News really getting from the City of Lake Geneva? The outfit gets regular checks monthly for official notices. They get paid tens of thousands to put on bacon and taco fests. Now they get an unknown amount as part of the VISIT Lake Geneva overall advertising budget. At what point does the Regional News become merely an organ of presentation of the City of Lake Geneva? The staff of the GSR doesn’t know the answer to that question, but maybe the citizenry should begin asking it to the leaders of the city.
Lake Geneva’s church placard program was a success.
This past August, through October, the Lake Geneva parking department put together a trial program that provided free parking to non-resident churchgoers. Fifteen cards were distributed among four churches downtown, including Lake Geneva United Methodist Church, First Congregational Church, Holy Communion Episcopal Church, and First Church of Christ Scientist.
Church officials distributed the cards for church attendees to place on their dashboards which allowed them to park for free during services. Each card is 8 1/2 x 11, numbered to discourage duplication and very easy for the parking attendants to see so there were no problems enforcing the program. As time has gone on there was an increase in the use of the placards and church officials requested the free parking program continue next year. The parking staff had no problems with enforcing the program.
Lake Geneva’s finance, licensing, and regulation committee, along with the city council voted unanimously to continue the program in 2022, and possibly make it permanent, which would include developing an ordinance. It’s great to see the city no longer making verbal agreements, but instead making policy changes to keep everything official and fair while doing what’s best for the city, residents, and visitors alike.
Business Of The Week
Tuscan Restaurant is a wonderful place, delicious food, and great people. Tuscan provided free hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream to parade-goers Saturday night!
