Sandy wants tourists to stop in
The town seeks to shed its "Gateway to Mount Hood" image and become a place where visitors stay and shop
December 4, 2003
MELISSA L. JONES
SANDY -- Long known as the "Gateway to Mount Hood," Sandy is a city some liken to a drive-through restaurant. People stop to rent skis, pick up a Sno-Park permit and buy coffee and a doughnut. And then they leave.
Sandy's Chamber of Commerce has given out red "Stop and Shop" signs to try to generate more support for local businesses. Still, too many people see Sandy stores from a car seat at 25 mph, local business owners say.
Clackamas County is trying to help stop passers-by in Sandy. Residents have told Clackamas County tourism officials they would like to change Sandy's image from a gateway to a headquarters -- a place where people stay a while.
How to get people to hang around is the dilemma. A series of meetings among the city's chamber of commerce, county tourism officials and city staff has resulted in a list of potential ways to make Sandy more tourist friendly.
"There is a lot that we need," said Sandy Jordan, owner of the Inga Pachukes gift shop in Sandy. "As a business owner, I'd like to see a lot more business, where people park and walk through town like they do in Bend."
Jordan is one of more than a dozen people who has brainstormed to promote Sandy. The area is loaded with artists, Jordan said, and more could be done to raise interest in their work.
Maybe Sandy could develop some "destination retail," where people come to shop for particular items, said George Hoyt, a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Some ideas are on the table, such as developing Sandy's museum and visitors center. New ideas include building a conference center and enhancing access to the Sandy River. Other suggestions include building more hotels and improving pedestrian crossings through downtown.
If Sandy can put together an action plan with ideas to pursue tourists, the city could reap some county tourism funds.
The county's Tourism and Development Council is offering matching grants to cities that come up with plans to attract tourists. The TDC is funded through the county's 6 percent transient room tax -- a tax on all overnight lodging in the county, from bed-and-breakfasts to campgrounds and RV parks.
Money generated is used to help communities through the Tourism Attraction Development Assistance Program. About $500,000 a year goes to projects across the county that promote leisure, conventions, heritage and other projects.
"We have not received much of it in the past. We hope to in the future," said Sandy City Manager Scott Lazenby.
So far, the tax money has helped open Government Camp's Mount Hood Museum and expanded the stage area at Lake Oswego's Lakewood Center for the Arts. The money also funded a feasibility study for a new museum in Sandy.
Each community is defining its own role in the county push, said TDC director Linda Bell. Members of the TDC have had "vision planning" meetings in Estacada, Molalla, Canby, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego and Oregon City.
Estacada can position itself as an outfitter for the Clackamas River. Oregon City has the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Many consider Mount Hood to be the county's crown jewel.
What sets Sandy apart is visitors heading up to Mount Hood through the city via U.S 26.
"The town gets a lot of exposure to visitors. This stretch may be the only one some might see," Lazenby said.
Some in Sandy look at U.S. 26 dissecting the town as a downfall; others see it as an advantage.
"You don't bypass their town. You know where their downtown is," Bell said. "They really are a launching pad, if you will, for the outdoor recreation in the forest. I think that's going to be a real key one for them.
"Especially for these towns where timber was so important, to realize that tourism has a place, has really helped them kind of refocus things they need to do." Melissa Jones: 503-294-5938; melissajones@news.oregonian.com