We can’t disagree with Osceola County commissioners on the consensus reached Monday that tourist development tax spending should focus on amateur sports. We already have a reputation for hosting sports events, so it is one area of tourism we already excel at.

Consultants who conducted an audit of the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau several years ago pointed out that the county should decide on a spending focus for its tourist taxes and that amateur sports was one area that could produce additional overnight stays. That same audit pointed out the need for a master plan in which county commissioners and our Tourist Development Council would set priorities on what capital projects to fund. A master plan specifically for Osceola Heritage Park also is needed.

Requests for the limited pot of lodging tax revenue have come hot and heavy over the last year or two. Among those requests are: additional money for the Center for the Arts; a new veterans museum; the relocation of the county Historical Society museum; a new sports complex for the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA); funding for county parks that could be used for eco-tourism; and additional stables at the Silver Spurs Arena.

The issue is that tourist tax revenue cannot fund all requests. We have to set priorities and in doing so, we have to consider whether a project would put heads in beds.

For us, pursuing a USSSA sports complex is a good idea but the projected $67 million price tag scares us. We also could not justify spending $5 million for a site for a new Veterans Tribute and Museum simply because we don’t believe it would produce enough additional overnight stays to justify the cost. Spending $6 million for new stables would not produce enough overnight stays either.

However, we would support funding county parks that have lake or waterway access, since people want alternatives to visiting the theme parks. Canoeing down Shingle Creek to Lake Tohopekaliga, for example, could be a trip we could promote as a unique experience and one that has the potential to produce additional tourist tax revenue with minimal investment.

We also agree the Historical Society needs a new location for its museum and moving it to the Shingle Creek Nature and Information Center site on West U.S. Highway 192 is a good idea, given that you would have more than one reason for people to stop at the site. The cost of such a move also would not be prohibitive.