The Greenwood Tourism Commission hired a firm on Monday to search for a permanent director of the Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The commission hired Logan Development Group, a consulting firm based in Oxford, to carry out the search at a cost of $23,000 plus expenses.
The search comes to fill the vacancy left by Patrick Ervin, who resigned from the position in April only five months after being hired.
Ashley Farmer, a CVB employee who is suing the Tourism Commission and the city of Greenwood alleging she was passed over for the job on account of being white, was appointed interim director last month.
The city has made recent filings arguing it should be dropped from the lawsuit.
In other business:
- The commission unanimously approved a motion to create a rhythm and blues concert series at Rail Spike Park called “Rhythm on the Rail.”
Board member Cyndi Long said the series would make use of $50,000 that has been budgeted for some sort of concert series for the past couple of years.
“The tourists want to hear R&B,” she said.
She said the concerts would hopefully begin in August and be held on the first Friday of every month.
The target expense for each event would be about $2,500.
- The commission also approved the hiring of Courage to Care, a Pennsylvania firm, for diversity training for the board members.
The cost would be capped at $2,640, which includes a two-hour session at $1,800 and $70 for each board member who chooses to participate.
Steven Cookston cast the lone dissent while Karyn Burrus abstained.
“Did we join this board to better ourselves or to market Greenwood?” Cookston asked. “I’m just curious why we’re spending the public’s money on going to a training that I don’t think is necessary.”
Betty Sanders, who voted in favor of the measure, said “race was at the base” of heated meetings when she first came on as a board member. She advocated for a training “to help us talk to each other and talk to each other in a respectful way.”
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards-@gwcommonwealth.com.
