After over 30 years of operating the Visitor Center, the Woodland Chamber of Commerce announced the facility will close effective in 2026.
Chamber President Neil Butler shared the news during a Tuesday, Dec. 11 luncheon, one day after the Woodland City Council voted to provide no Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) funds for the center. Chamber leaders said they needed at least $40,000 from the city to keep it open.
“As we have communicated publicly, that level of funding does not sustain the minimum operating capacity,” Butler explained. “There are a number of things that we'll need to do to take care of what that looks like in terms of winding it down, but effective Jan. 1, the site will be turned off.”
Butler said the closure won’t stop the chamber from continuing its mission to support local businesses.
“This is not a setback. This is just an opportunity to refocus,” Butler said. “The nice part is it just allows us to reallocate resources back further into the community.”
Beginning Oct. 6, the Woodland City Council debated how to divide $50,000 in remaining LTAC funds between the Visitor Center and Downtown Woodland Revitalization (DWR), which runs events such as Hot Summer Nights and Movies in the Park.
LTAC originally recommended either giving $40,000 to the Chamber and $10,000 to DWR or splitting the funds evenly. The city granted $40,000 last year, the minimum needed to keep the center open.
The center costs about $90,000 a year to operate, with major support from county lodging taxes and other local revenue sources. Several council members, however, argued that Downtown Woodland Revitalization’s events generate more visible tourism activity and attract more visitors from outside the city. For that reason, a majority of councilors voted to evenly split the $50,000 between the two groups despite Butler's assurances that the facility would close.
Butler reiterated the facility would close next year with less than $40,000 when he spoke to the city council last Monday, and added concerns brought by members of the Chamber regarding the legality of the council’s decision to grant DWR $25,000.
“The chamber strongly urges the city and city attorney to obtain formal written legal clarification before approving any final allocations or dispersing funds,” Butler said. “Specific questions regarding legal review … include whether the revised allocation must be resubmitted to LTAC for comment under (state law), and whether DWR must file an amended application consistent with its new funding level before the city can legally authorize payment.”
The concerns raised by the Chamber's legal team, while not official legal advice according to Butler, were heard by the council. The city attorney, however, affirmed that the current procedure was standard.
Councilor Terry Hall said he was concerned about the conflicting legal interpretations. Later in the meeting, Melissa Doughty proposed giving all remaining LTAC funds to DWR, saying the Chamber’s position put pressure on the council.
“After (Neil Butler) sat here and said without $40,000, it’s like telling us, ‘hey, we’re gonna shut down if you don’t give us what you want,’ and I don’t think we should be felt to have our hands tied and have to give it to them for them to operate,” Doughty said. “In my opinion, I don’t believe they deserve the money at this point when they’re unwilling … to work in any regard with that.”
The following day, Butler told The Reflector once again that without a minimum of $40,000 from the city, the Chamber couldn’t maintain operations for the facility.
“Ultimately, the math for the Visitor Center still has to add up,” he said. “Decreasing it below that $40,000 mark means that we can't continue to subsidize those levels to operate a facility that specifically benefits tourism within Woodland.”
The city council failed to pass a motion to give the Visitor Center $25,000, with Jason Friend, Gabe Huston and John Burke in favor. The center will receive no LTAC funding due to the failed vote. The council then voted to give DWR $25,000, with Hall, Carol Rounds and Douglas Friemark opposed. The remaining $25,000 in LTAC funds could be reconsidered next year.
While the Chamber plans to work on more initiatives to benefit local businesses, Butler said there will be impacts on visibility during the Tuesday luncheon, saying the closure will lessen Woodland’s share of tourism traffic as tourists travel through the city to Mount St. Helens.
“Without a Visitor Center, they’ll stop for gas or they’ll stop at the McDonald’s,” Butler said. “It’s unfortunate, but should things change and the city changes its mind, we’re willing to discuss.”
