[Vision2020] Too much homecoming?

[Moscow Cares]

Courtesy of today’s Lewiston Tribune.

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Too much homecoming?
Idaho and WSU play marquee game today, but merchants would prefer the events be staggered

MOSCOW — With both the University of Idaho and Washington State University staging their homecomings this weekend, local businesses are bracing for an influx of fans and alums numbering in the tens of thousands.
 
WSU alone has completely sold out Martin Stadium’s nearly 33,000 seats for today’s 4 p.m. football game against Colorado, university officials said.
 
While she considers the Palouse pretty enough to be a tourist attraction, Pullman Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marie Dymkoski said university events — football games in particular — are major economic drivers for the region. She said events like homecoming are especially lucrative for local small businesses.
 
“They will say they make or break during football season, graduation and those big university-related weekends — that keeps them going through the low times,” Dymkoski said. “I think a lot of businesses feel like, ‘Oh, I wish I could take some of this and bottle it up for the days that I don’t have as many people.’ ”
 
While the large university events bring in vital, seasonal traffic to the region, Dymkoski said there’s little advantage in squishing two events into one when each would be big weekends in their own right. WSU and UI homecomings rarely fall on the same day, she said, and many local businesses would agree that it would be better to stagger the events.
 
“It’s more of a strain on incoming travelers — obviously, the hotels do fill up but there’s not enough room to go around for a double-event weekend,” said Mike O’Brien, general manager for Best Western Plus University Inn in Moscow. “What that does is it drives prices to a very, very high premium, and I just think it reflects poorly on the area and some parents aren’t able to afford the prices or come during those special event weekends when it’s a double.”
 
O’Brien said he believes hotels on the Palouse have the capacity to accomodate one homecoming but not two. He said attendees will likely be pushed out to surrounding towns, including Lewiston and Clarkston, in search of lodging. While he suspects it would be difficult if not impossible, O’Brien said it would be nice if the two schools could coordinate to offer events on alternating dates.
 
Though simultaneous homecoming events in neighboring towns will certainly contribute to a rise in law enforcement calls, local police said they have prepared for this weekend like any other homecoming.
 
“Anytime we have an event going on in Pullman where it’s going to bring a lot more people to town, we automatically ... staff up our patrol shifts,” Pullman Police Cmdr. Jake Opgenorth said. “On a typical Friday or Saturday night, we have four to five officers working — (we’re) pretty much doubling up, so we’re going to have nine officers working each night.”
 
Opgenorth said he expects a rise in calls this weekend to be more or less proportional to the number of people visiting town. He said the most common infractions during this kind of event are traffic- and parking-related, but he said alcohol offenses are also common. Opgenorth said his advice for having a safe and enjoyable homecoming is to avoid drinking and driving and to treat the local communities and public spaces with courtesy.
 
“The biggest thing I could say is just be respectful,” Opgenorth said. “Would you do that in your own town? No? Well, then don’t do it in Pullman.”

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Today’s weather forecast . . .







Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

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