Traveling the Privatization Highway

FLINT —According to a July 22 Associated Press story, the first privately run information center in Michigan is proving to be quite successful.

The building which houses the center, located on I-75 in Genesee County, is owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation, which is leasing the space to Dodge Road Visitors Center, Inc., a nonprofit agency of the Flint, Saginaw and Frankenmuth convention bureaus and the Clio Chamber of Commerce.

The cost to run the center is $50,000 annually. It distributes brochures, booklets, maps and other materials to travelers who want information about Michigan hotels, restaurants, parks and tourist attractions. Officials say the center has averaged about 1,500 visitors a day since July 4.