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Tourism presence will continue at museum, says Cumberland Chamber of Commerce

The Cumberland Chamber of Commerce plans to maintain a tourism bureau at the village's museum.

The visitor centre in Cumberland will cease operating in an official capacity at the end of March but the Cumberland Chamber of Commerce plans to maintain a tourism bureau at the village's museum.It's one of the changes planned by members of the Chamber board who appeared before the Cumberland committee of the whole last week. The organization hopes to collaborate with the Village to help business, arts and culture, recreation and tourism thrive in the community.   "We want to work together to make this Chamber thrive," said secretary Evan Loveless, who suggested the possibility of redirecting lost funding. The Chamber is losing $32,000 from local government via the Comox Valley Economic Development Society and a $5,000 grant from Tourism B.C. These funds have been redirected to the Vancouver Island Visitor Centre, which officially opens April 1.The Chamber now relies solely on membership fees and two revenue-generating events: Market Days and the Winter Faire. Chamber memberships are not limited to businesses."We encourage individual membership," president Meaghan Cursons said. The Cumberland Chamber of Commerce provides destination marketing and promotes businesses, organizations and events. It continues to develop a 'BIA-style' organization. For more information visit www.cumberlandbc.org.The committee approved a Kate Greening motion to request the Chamber to submit estimated costs to include in council's budget deliberations in March.• • •Greening proposed a fundraising effort utilizing potholes which can make driving a bumpy experience along certain Cumberland roads. She suggested selling cards with a photo of a pothole, or partial pothole, for a fixed amount plus a donation. Or the Chamber could sell T-shirts with a bear sitting on a road with its mountain bike stuck in a pothole. The Village could then save the money to cull potholes."Times are tough and having some good humour is a good thing," Greening said. reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com