By BEN LUNDIN

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – In an effort to combat a lack of diverse events at the St. John Parish Community Center, the St. John Parish Council officially handed control of the facility’s marketing and advertising to the River Parishes Tourist Commission at last Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting.

The official decision welcomes a cooperative endeavor between St. John Parish Parish and the commission to promote the $7 million Community Center at no cost to the parish in what officials hope will usher in events to fill unused portions of the facility.

The River Parish Tourist Commission has an incentive to bring visitors to St. John Parish because its primary means of revenue will be from a St. John Parish hotel tax.

The decision passed unanimously with Dale Wolfe absent, but drew concerns from council members that the commission may have a conflict of interest because it also operates in St. Charles and St. James parishes.

&#8220We have to pursue tenants for the unoccupied portion of the Community Center and I only hope they pursue tenants as much as they pursued this agreement,” Councilman Sean Roussel said.

Councilmember Jaclyn Hotard addressed the issue of long-distance phone calls from the commission, which Chief Administrative Officer Natalie Robottom said would be monitored and is expected to be a negligible cost. Utilities are the Community Center’s only financial burden paid for by the parish government, with the rest covered by parish bonds.

The River Parish Tourist Commission will be granted the use of office space in the Community Center, which they can continue to use for six months at a charge of $600 per month if their contract is terminated.

Councilman Ronnie Smith argued that if the parish decides to sell the Community Center it could not expect a buyer to accommodate the commission’s use of office space for six months, possibly hindering a sale.

&#8220It took us four months to come to this agreement, and it should take 18 months to sell the facility,” Robottom said, silencing his concerns.

The River Parishes Commission proposed the cooperation after St. John Parish officials fired former marketing consultant Wayne Read in February. Director of the River Parishes Tourist Commission Jesse Lambert said in April that the commission will publicize the center differently than Read.

&#8220We’re in the tourism business and Wayne is in the movie business,” she said.

Parish officials hope the change will bring in more weddings, trade shows, and other small events.