Council Chamber Picking up Momentum
It may seem unusual for a chamber of commerce to have a president who is not a business owner, but for the Council Chamber of Commerce, having Katie Church as president continues to be a boon.
Katie and her husband David, and their 5 and 8-year-old children moved to Council from Caldwell three years ago. David is a general contractor, and the family now lives in Fruitvale.
And because Church herself is a stay-at-home mom, she has the time to devote to the demands of being chamber president. She said she spends at least 20 hours a week on chamber business.
The former president, Shani Smith, owner of Huptye, is in the process of building a new home and just couldn’t manage doing all that and remaining chamber president.
Church had served as her Vice President and so got to know what the job entailed before being elected president. Come February, the board will vote again for president, and if re-elected, she will likely serve another term.
Church is outgoing, upbeat, cheerful, and positive.
She is proud of her accomplishments this year. She applied for and received a grant from the McCall Area Chamber of Commerce for marketing and maintenance of the group’s Facebook page and website, and she said some of that grant money may be used to hire a videographer and possibly a photographer.
She very much appreciated the help she got from Belinda Provancher, Perpetua Resources Community Relations Manager, in directing her where to go to apply for grant funding.
Church is currently planning the Chamber Ball, which will take place in February. There will be a D.J., and S &A Catering and BBQ will cater the event. Tickets will cost between twenty and twenty-five dollars, and during the ball, awards will be given to Council’s man and woman of the year, to the educator of the year, the business of the year, the non-profit of the year and to the first responder of the year.
She said the chamber is currently working on installing new brackets for the city light poles, which will allow for seasonal banners to be hung. They are also working on directional signs, so tourists will know where they can eat or shop.
“The Chamber was sort of running on empty, but now we’re starting to build it back up,” she said.
Perhaps the most difficult part of her job is asking people for help, but she said she’s found that when she does so, people chip in.
There are currently seven board members and 58 chamber members.
“We’re just trying to make the town the best that it can be. I want to see people enjoy things; I want to see my kids enjoy things; we hope in the future to partner with the FFA and with the Council Rodeo Board,” she said.
