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<br />around the country and the "world" come to Steamboat Springs in the summertime. The City then <br />goes on to contend that some $20 million to $35 million per year in direct revenues are at least <br />partially attributable to the presence. and use of the Boating Park and associated recreational water <br />use. The City's estimate of the economic impact on the Boating Park is not supported by the record <br />before the Board, defies common sense, and appears to wildly exaggerate the facts. <br />2. County believes that the materials offered by the City on the issue of economic impact do not <br />demonstrate that there is or will be a quantifiable, positive impact on the City's economy by virtue of <br />the RICD flows subject to the City's RICD filing for several reasons: <br />a. Winter tourism remains the dominant factor in the Steamboat Springs and Routt County <br />economies. In 2003, based upon sales tax reports, retail sales in. Routt County were over $363 <br />million. See attached sales tax report for 2002 and 2003. Of that total, $163,605,000 was generated <br />during the months of December, January, February and March. This is 45% of the total. Historically <br />May is the month with the lowest sales activity in the year. In 2003, May sales were $19,893,000. <br />Assuming that May represents local sales without a significant tourism impact (there are no summer <br />activities and the ski season is over), sales over the May baseline for the riionths the Steamboat <br />Springs RICD is proposed to be in effect are (April through October) attributable to all types of <br />tourism total nearly $40,000,000. Given this information, the City's suggestion that as much as $20 <br />to $35 milliori of these sales are "at least partially attributable to the presence and use of the Boating <br />Park" is placed in a perspective that suggests the amount of sales actually the result of the Boating <br />Park is much less. <br />b. In contrast to the winter when skiing is the predominate attraction, the reasons that <br />tourists are attracted to Routt County and the City of Steamboat Springs during the suminertime are <br />numerous and diverse. They include an enjoyable, cool mountain climate, a beautiful valley and <br />surrounding mountains, with many opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, <br />bicycling, fishing, tennis, and golfing as well as many special events such as a professional rodeo <br />series, Strings in the Mountains, the Steamboat Marathon and other similar competitive events, the <br />Steamboat Mountain Soccer Tournament, Triple Crown softball and baseball tournaments, Rainbow <br />Weekend which includes the Balloon Rodeo and Art in the Park, and the Fall Foliage Festival. The <br />attached calendar of events produced by the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association <br />("Steamboat Chamber") confirms this point. The calendar shows literally hundreds of events. Often <br />there is more than one reason the same tourist chooses to come to the area. According to Sandy <br />Evans Hall, the Executive Director of the Steamboat Springs Resort Chamber, no statistically valid <br />survey is known to exist that would identify and quantify the "motivators" and "satisfyors" for <br />tourism to the area. <br />c. Of all the entries in the Steamboat Chamber calendar of events, there is one, the <br />Yampa River Festival on June 13, 2004, that relates directly to the Boat Park. The fact is that the <br />economic impact of visitor activities directly related to the RICD structures is dwarfed by other <br />summertime activities. Examples abound. Attendance at the Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series <br />runs approximately 27,500 persons over a 10-week season and includes about 21 performances. <br />Attendance at Strings in the Mountains Music Festival (8 week season), is about 25,000. Triple <br />Crown, softball, baseball, and youth soccer tournaments, attract approximately 35,000 participants <br />2