Events are opportunity for GR

With events such as the UW swim meet coming to Green River Saturday and the State Speech and Debate Meet in 2017, local businesses

and the city could see a profit as a result.

With the events come visitors who spend money on meals and hotel rooms, which would help ease the city’s continued revenue

problems. The city earns much of its revenue through sales taxes in Sweetwater County. For several years, the city has dealt with declining revenues, which have resulted in budget cuts each year.

Currently, the city is watching the tax revenues

for the holiday shopping season, as the city currently is operating with about 6 percent less revenue under what was budgeted earlier this year.

Rebecca Eusek, director of the Green River Chamber of Commerce, said the city has great assets in places like the Green River High School Aquatics Center and the city’s parks, which have attracted tournaments and regional events.

The chamber, along with the Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Board’s event recruitment committee it works with, have worked to bring more events to the area.

“This is the time to really try to get those events, conventions and state events here,” Eusek said.

The city hosted the state chamber of commerce convention in early October and the chamber continues to bid on other regional and state events as they’re announced.

Eusek said some events are very competitive, though she believes the city

is gaining more attention from across the state. Eusek said diversifying the area’s resources during the current economic downturn will lessen the blow resulting from decreased oil and gas activity in the county.

When a large influx of traffic does come to town, Eusek said the chamber alerts local business to expect more traffic.

“When you have 200 kids going into Arctic Circle, we want to make sure

they’re ready for the increased business,” Eusek said.