This past June, Governor John Hickenlooper's cabinet visited Southern Colorado to find out more about our regions and communities.  

About 10-11 cabinet members will be in attendance. Citizens and elected local officials can learn more about each department and talk about issues affecting your communities and towns. 

The one-page proposal should include:

• Reasons you feel the community can draw attendance with a minimum of 50 persons from the community AND the region
• Meeting location with at least two break-out rooms at no or low cost 
• Recommendations for meals (depending on final schedule) and caterer for session breaks
• Recommendations for lodging options should your community be chosen for the overnight stay
• Marketing the event to your community and in the region for citizens and elected local officials to attend.
• An extra 10 rating points will be given to communities that are members of Action 22!

Deadline for proposals is January 18, 2013. The proposal will be rated and you will be informed of communities selected. Event is expected to be held sometime in mid-June to end of July. 

Winter months following the holiday season can be a difficult time for downtowns and small businesses. Unless your community is fortunate to have a thriving winter sports and tourism economy, retail and downtown businesses can find themselves slowing significantly. Businesses can use this slow time as an opportunity to plan marketing strategies and increase involvement with downtown revitalization and planning committees. Downtown leaders should use this time to get input on potential programs or events, and possibly grow your volunteer base. If your community is at a tourism peak, consider these suggestions for your shoulder seasons.

Take advantage of the slow times. Use this time to experiment with marketing techniques and plan on what works best for your community and downtown businesses. This may be a great time for businesses and attractions to incorporate group-saving coupons (see Constant Contact, Groupon, Living Social and Save Local). Encourage business owners to offer special discounts for customers who write Yelp reviews, check in on Facebook or Foursquare, or upload a microbrew on UnTappd to see if they can further capitalize on those social media markets. (READ MORE) 

Located in Archuleta County, on Highway 160, the Town of Pagosa Springs sits at 7,126 ft. and is surrounded by the San Juan National Forest and Weminuche Wilderness, which boasts the largest wilderness area in Colorado. Pagosa Springs is a town with a rich and vibrant history and is also the home to one of the largest and hottest natural mineral springs in the world, the "Great Pagosah Hot Spring" which attracts an impressive number of tourists each year.

DCI brought a technical assistance team to Pagosa Springs on November 12-13, 2012 to complete a downtown assessment. DCI was asked to address a number of challenges voiced through their application and planning processes, including a significant number of businesses closing their doors, visibly empty storefronts, and the need for the community to come together with a common set of goals and objectives.