Scott Swanson
Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce members voted Oct. 18 in support of refinancing their building at 1575 Main St. to raise $30,000 to make repairs to the facility, which houses the chamber office and Visitors Center.
The chamber’s general meeting drew some 25 members to the Veterans Club.
They unanimously re-elected Michael Hall of The Point restaurant to the chamber Board of Directors and elected Patrick Johnson of PTJ Synthetics and LeAnn Victor of Sweet Home Choppers to vacant seats on the board.
Board President Brandi Hawkins told members that the chamber Visitors Center was staffed for a total of 420 hours during July, August and September, staying open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
She credited the city of Sweet Home for “standing in the gap for us,” primarily with $11,200 in funding for the Visitors Center.
The center served 889 people, either walk-ins or on the phone, between July and September.
She said 25 percent were interested in camping and hiking, 18 percent were in town in connection with an event – most either because of the Oregon Jamboree or the Sportsman’s Holiday, which included an All-School Reunion this year.
Other interests logged by staff were community information (15 percent), directions (15 percent), fishing or boating (15 percent) and rock hounding (10 percent).
Treasurer Diane Gerson reported that the chamber budget, following extensive work to establish financial policies and pay off debts, stands at $81,92 in the black.
“That is very good,” Gerson said. “We are a non-profit and we shouldn’t be making any profit.”
Hawkins told the membership that the chamber building, which she described as “beautiful, traditional, historic,” with “emotional ties to the community,” needs work.
Preparations for a recent paint job revealed termite damage and the building has no heat or air conditioning.
She said chamber officials are talking with Pacific Gas and Electric about possibly becoming an Energy Trust showcase project in Sweet Home, which would involve replacing windows that currently leak voluminous amounts of outside air.
Also, the interior of the building needs work to make it more conducive to its purposes, she said.
The building’s electrical system has recently been upgraded with a new electrical panel, which has saved significant money already, Hawkins said.
She said the chamber’s options are to sell the facility and move somewhere else, tear down the existing chamber office and garage buildings and install a modular office building – which would cost an estimated $70,000, or repair the existing building.
She said the chamber is nine months and $1,800 away from paying off the mortgage on this building.
Member Kitsey Trewin, a real estate agent, and others advised against selling the building, citing the poor real estate market.
Hawkins and Gerson said the board is considering a 15-year, $30,000 variable-rate loan to make the improvements to the facility.
Various members asked whether a fixed-rate mortgage would be better, but member Gus Gerson said that business loans tend to be variable-rate.
Members agreed that the board should check on financing options with all the banks in Sweet Home before settling on a loan.
Hawkins said the chamber is making progress and the board is willing to do what it takes to continue that process.
“We’re willing to invest in ourselves,” she said. “We’re going to create a more positive feeling in the community.”