City to distribute hotel, motel tax

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Main Street Portsmouth will receive the largest portion of the city of Portsmouth’s distribution of a third of the hotel/motel tax assigned to cultural affairs.

The city will give first reading Monday to its distribution of $24,832.81 or 33 and 1/3 percent of the hotel/motel tax, $4,000 of which will go to Main Street Portsmouth.

Joseph Pratt, director of Main Street Portsmouth said $3,000 of the money awarded will go toward the beautification of downtown Portsmouth. Pratt said $500 will go toward new Farmer’s Market signage and $500 toward a new campaign – “Port Pride.”

“We are going to be printing up stickers for cars, business windows, and things like that,” Pratt said. “It’s going to have the hashtag #Port Pride. If people take a really beautiful picture of something, they can just go on social media, say what they have to say, and people can search that hashtag and bd better connected within the city.”

Pratt said the funding from the city is important to the operation of Main Street Portsmouth.

“The city is our biggest supporter and we couldn’t do what we do without the city’s assistance,” Pratt said. “This money is a blessing from the hotel/motel grant and there’s a panel of local people that volunteer their time to pore over these applicaions and it takes a lot of time to go through them and decide where the money will go.”

Portsmouth Community Orchestra will be awarded $3,170; while the Southern Ohio Museum will receive $3,000. Another $2,662 will go to the Southern Ohio Performing Arts and $2,500 each to P.R.O.U.D. and Portsmouth Area Community Exhibits, with Time Out For Me, Inc. picking up $2,100.

Portsmouth Area Arts Council will be awarded $1,500, as will the Portsmouth Area Beautification Society. Connex, Inc. will receive $1,250 and $650 will be going to the 1810 Houirse Society.

Main Street Portsmouth to receive the largest portion – $4,000

By Frank Lewis

[email protected]

Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.

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