Groups to build virtual tours of area

Several local agencies plan to use federal stimulus dollars to hire a person to create virtual tours of Blue Water Area downtowns and attractions.

Sherry Archibald, community services director for the Community Action Agency, said about $55,000 of a $415,000 grant from the federal stimulus bill will be used for the project.

The plan: Create virtual tours that will allow people to tour downtowns and walk into stores. Archibald said tours also could include attractions, such as McMorran Place in downtown Port Huron, or events.

"The possibilities are endless in what we want to include in this virtual tourism," Archibald said.

Archibald said the money will be used to pay an employee, buy equipment and pay for assistants to the employee. The applicant must be unemployed or underemployed.

Applications can be sent to Archibald until Oct. 16. A person is expected to be hired by Nov. 1 or so, she said.

The goal is also to hire someone who will be able to use the skills learned as part of the project to launch their own business to do virtual tours for others, Archibald said.

The Community Action Agency will join with the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, Blue Water Convention and Visitor's Bureau and St. Clair County in the project.

The virtual tours were something the bureau wanted to do for the Discover the Blue campaign, but funds wouldn't allow it.

Randy Maiers, the president and chief executive of the Community Foundation, said the virtual tours will be hosted at www.bluewater.org, the home of the Discover the Blue campaign.

Any community in the Blue Water Area that participates in that campaign is eligible for a virtual tour.

Maiers said it will only add to the already successful campaign.

"We think it is huge," he said. "It really adds depth and service to the Discover the Blue campaign."