Local Tourism Board Looks To Add Welcome Signs To Community

Several Projects In The Works, Will Be Completed As Funding Becomes Available

Chamber Director and Tourism member Rhonda Clemmons discusses conceptual drawings of improvements around the Brownsville area.

Local Chamber of Commerce Director and Tourism member Rhonda Clemmons says that the local tourism board is making plans to purchase "Welcome to Brownsville" signs, along with other tourist-friendly projects in the community. 

An architectural landscape class from the University of Kentucky under the direction of professor Jayoung Koo, has adopted Brownsville as part of a class project and has donated proposed plans for signage and other improvements around Brownsville and the county. Clemmons said that while many of their proposed plans are not economically feasible for the county right now, the project has been good for the Tourism board, as it's allowed them to set some goals to work toward.

A drawing of one proposed sign type for Brownsville.

"Right now our plans are to place signs as you enter the county that say "Welcome to Edmonson County, home of Mammoth Cave and Nolin Lake," said Clemmons. "In addition, we're also planning a kiosk to be constructed somewhere on the square that will contain tourist info about our nearby attractions."

Clemmons said that currently, someone from out of town may not know how to get to the Green River access from the square, and that needs to change.

"We don't have a ton of things to offer, but what we have, we're proud of, and we want others to know about them," she said. 

Future plans include possible signage near the Lock #6 site, Houchins Ferry, the courthouse square, and the city park.

Tourism is funded mainly through the county's Recreational and Room Tax, which the county has had trouble enforcing. One business alone owes thousands in back taxes, which makes it difficult for Tourism to promote local attractions as they'd hope.

"It's up to the county to see that people are paying their taxes," she said. "We hope to complete one project at a time, as the funding becomes available."