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Fort Smith chamber hoping for revival

Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (Jan 24/05) - A meeting has been called for Jan. 26 to revive the almost defunct Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce.

It will be the chamber's first annual general meeting since 2003.

The organization is currently without an executive because nobody was interested in running last year. The 2003 executive carried on for a while, but gradually quit.

"We've been trying for some time to get people interested in running," says Ib Kristensen, a long-time member and former president who has kept the chamber alive over the last year.

"I've been keeping it from completely dying," Kristensen says, noting he has maintained the financial records.

However, he notes only a handful of members have paid their dues over the last year.

Kristensen says temporary lack of interest occasionally happens with such volunteer organizations.

"If you have good leadership, it will continue," he says.

A renewal of the chamber was one of the main goals resulting from a community economic development conference in November. As a result of the conference, Kristensen says he called a chamber meeting in December and 15 people showed up. Most of them were former members. "It was then decided to have a meeting in January," Kristensen says.

The chamber was formed in 1962.