City may lose Big Bass Splash
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

The 24th annual McDonald's Big Bass Splash on Sam Rayburn may change home sites, according to tournament organizer Bob Sealy.

"If things don't change, you won't see the Big Bass Splash on Rayburn in Jasper County," Sealy said. "There are two other locations that were hoping something like this would happen to make us look for another location.

"This tournament will go on regardless of whether Jasper funds me or not," Sealy said. "If I take this tournament to the upper end of the lake, there will be an economic impact felt in Jasper County.

"Jasper is my home but if I am going to be treated that way, well, then it's not personal, it's business," Sealy said. "And this is not a good business decision for Jasper. No one can convince me that the city of Jasper does not benefit from our event."

Sealy received a letter from the city of Jasper notifying of its intent to reduce its offer of hotel-motel funds from $10,000 in 2007 to $5,000 in 2008.

"That was a pretty good slap in my face," Sealy said. "For them to say this tournament does not bring in enough revenue to justify money. I think it's unethical the way they are doing it."

Jasper City Manager Alan Grindstaff said the $5,000 offer was the final offer being made for the tournament. Grindstaff said that last year's deal with Sealy Outdoors for the tournament totaled $15,367.50 and didn't include any city cleanup crews used or city police protection used at the tourney.

"We have little cards placed at motels and they are collected regularly to see why people are staying in the motels," Grindstaff said. "We know not everybody fills them out so our secretary calls the motels and hotels and asks after every major event to find out how many patrons were there for the event. We had less than $5,000 brought in hotel-motel tax from this event last year."

Grindstaff pointed out that if all Jasper hotels charged $100 a night for their rooms, it would take an occupancy of 2,000 rooms to bring in $14,000 in hotel-motel tax to the city.

"It's not that we are against his tournament, we support it 100 percent but we have to be wise with these dollars," Grindstaff said. "I'm concerned about losing any of our tournaments. I can't control what he does and I can't be blackmailed by his threats to take it elsewhere if we don't give him his money. That is not how we work."

Sealy said he has already had early discussions with the city of Lufkin about relocating the annual event to that area.

Sealy said during conversations with Grindstaff he was told the decision is final and "there was no room for negotiations."

"The biggest mistake they ever made was when council voted to take the funding away from the chamber and put it with the city," Sealy said. "The city has no clue what tourism is about.

"I know we bring in the largest number of visitors to Jasper every year and they have cut me tremendously," Sealy said. "Our event is a three-day event and people come in and stay for at least three nights.

"Other areas that we go to appreciate the fact that we are bringing a boost to their economy," Sealy said. "What Jasper just did to me was say they don't need me and I don't have to hold this event in Jasper County."

Sealy said that he has contacted one local hotel and was told that 60 percent of their occupancy during the week of the tournament was due to fishermen in town.

"Even the chamber will tell you that two months prior to our event, people are calling looking for a place to stay because everything is booked up," Sealy said. "People are then sent to Woodville and San Augustine because they can't stay in Jasper."

Sealy said the city's usage of comment cards to gauge hotel participate is wrong. He said that during this past year's tournament, he recorded more than 4,600 entries.

"You can't tell me that those people didn't stay in Jasper," Sealy said. "I'm sure they all camped out in tents around Rayburn."

Sealy said the money received from the city is annually used to promote the tournament.

"We don't put any of that money in our pocket," Sealy said. "We use it to promote Jasper and Jasper County and its businesses."

The Jasper Newsboy requested a list of the money being doled out by the city for tourism events. As of Sept. 18, the city has issued $30,900 in hotel-motel funds to eight organizations.

They include: East Texas Art League $500; Bass-NBucks $6,900; Bass Champs Tournament Trail East TX Div. $9,500; Bass Champs (Dodge Mega Bass Tournament) $4,000; Lakes Area Cruisers $7,000; FLW Outdoors Cowboy #5 $1,000; FLW Outdoors Cowboy #1 $1,000; Angler's Quest $1,000.

"Jasper has paid a lot more money to other organizations that don't bring in the numbers that we do," Sealy said. "But the difference is that I live in this community. This is home. We pay taxes in Jasper County and we do a lot for this county overall.

"It's aggravating that (the city) says a classic car show brings in more money than we do. Show me that a car show or air show brings in more tourism dollars than my tournament," Sealy said. "The business people of Jasper know better but they don't have any control over what the city manager and his review board does."

Grindstaff, though, said last year the Lakes Area Cruisers classic car show filled more rooms in Jasper than Sealy's fishing tournament.

"In fact, they almost fill up all of the motels," Grindstaff said.

Sealy believes the city is turning its back on the outdoors industry by shunning the tourism activity at Lake Sam Rayburn.

"Sealy Outdoors are the ones who pioneered the fishing industry into Jasper County," Sealy said. "It took me five years to get the city of Jasper and the chamber to realize that Lake Sam Rayburn is not a luxury, it's an industry."

He said the city needs to take in the economic impact of what losing a tournament such as the Big Bass Splash will have on the city's economy.

"They need to see the money that is spent, not only in motel rooms, but in the restaurants and stores in Jasper - they prosper off the tournaments as well," Sealy said. "It's a win-win deal for everybody."

In April of 2008, the McDonald's Big Bass Splash on Sam Rayburn will be held. The home site is still up in the air.

"I haven't made that decision as of yet," Sealy said. "It's my decision to make. I am hoping the review board will take another look at it and justify that our event is not worth what we ask for it.

"If they don't want us there, then they need to tell everybody that they don't want us anymore," Sealy said. "Then they won't ever have to worry about me again."