QUILCENE — An unusual agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and Quilcene/Brinnon Chamber of Commerce is in the works to share visitor information center space at the Highway 101 Olympic National Forest ranger station.
Jefferson County Commissioner Glen Huntingford, R-Chimacum, assured chamber members at a Wednesday morning meeting that $20,000 in 2 percent lodging tax dollars was “on the board” for the visitor center.
The lodging tax on hotel and motel room rents is distributed by the county.
“We need to take the budget request and put it on the budget for LTAC (Lodging Tax Advisory Committee),” Huntingford told about 20 people attending the chamber meeting at the Brinnon Senior Center.
Chamber President Kathleen Emmerson, co-proprietor of Quilcene Hotel, said the $20,000 would pay for a part-time visitor center employee, a lease with the Forest Service and other visitor information-related expenses.
“It’s logical since so many people go through the ranger station each year,” said Emmerson, adding that Forest Service employees by law cannot tell visitors where to stay or eat.
