POINT PLEASANT — Charles Humphreys likes to dream big.

So big, in fact, that when asked about his ultimate goal for the City of Point Pleasant as director of the Main Street organization, he said he envisions more than 100,000 people visiting the area each year, bringing with them their hard-earned dollars to be pumped into the local economy.

Humphreys admitted that some people might scoff at the idea of so many people coming to Point Pleasant and Mason County, but as he pointed out, each of the major goals the Main Street organization proposed when it embarked on its journey to making the area a tourism destination — “We realized that tourism is our economic engine,” he added — has been met or is a work in progress.

And that, Humphreys said, speaks for itself.

Since 2002, Main Street has generated more than $7.1 million in funding for various projects within the city. Humphreys said the group’s vision is to make the city alive once again with bustling new businesses.

According to information provided by Main Street Point Pleasant, funding for large-scale projects in the past five years include $5.2 million for the Point Pleasant Riverfront Park; $572,000 for the pavilion at the riverfront park; $160,000 for a small boat marina at the riverfront park; $695,000 for floodwall murals; $125,000 for street paving; and $1.2 million in private investments.

In addition to funding for those projects, Humphreys said Main Street has played a key role in the establishment of the city’s river and Mothman museums and the tourism center, and the organization also has improved the downtown area by installing benches and lampposts. Last year alone, work progressed on the historic floodwall murals at the riverfront park and the Gallery at 409 opened, helping establish Point Pleasant as an arts community.

Humphreys said the organization is marketing the city as “An American Beginning,” drawing inspiration from Lord Dunmore’s War and the Battle of Point Pleasant, which many people believe was the first battle of the American Revolution. He said the pieces are in place to attract visitors from around the country to view the historic murals at the riverfront park and other vital points of interest. In addition, the downtown area creates a unique “historic district” and can add even more value to the overall appeal.

He added that Main Street eventually plans to host city tours at a cost of $15 per person, which will give the visitor an all-access pass to the city’s museums, art gallery, riverfront park, floodwall murals and Fort Randolph as well as transportation between the facilities. If 100,000 people take advantage of the tour each year, that translates to $1.5 million for the city.

And although he admitted it might take a few years to attract that many people to the county, Humphreys said he has no doubt that the city will be hosting groups that big in the future. In fact, he said local events already bring an average of 50,000 people to the county, and with increased cooperation between municipalities and the events they host, the sky is the limit.

“If the economy doesn’t go really flat and just stop, I’d say within three years we’ll meet that goal,” he added. “We’re right on schedule.”

Officials at the state level certainly have taken notice of the local program, and Humphreys said Point Pleasant recently was chosen by a unanimous vote as the city to host state tourism commissioners for one day in the upcoming months. While here, the officials will be treated to a typical visitor’s experience, being immersed in the history and mystery the area has to offer.

“They wouldn’t be coming if we weren’t doing something right,” he added.

And while the past few years have been busy and beneficial, Humphreys and a slew of Main Street volunteers continue to make plans for the future. Upcoming projects include installing a new slate roof on the A.F. Kisar House on Third Street, where $200,000 in state funding will be used to enhance the structure and the Margaret Kincaid Memorial Park.

Other projects in the planning stages include installing antique brick crosswalks on Main Street and a stainless steel statue of “Mad” Ann Bailey at the riverfront park. Work also will continue on the floodwall murals, where five separate history lessons — Lord Dunmore’s War and the Battle of Point Pleasant, a Shawnee Indian village, “Mad” Ann Bailey, George Washington’s Lost Colony and the Daniel Boone years — eventually will be depicted.

As Humphreys pointed out, the county is simply gaining momentum for what could be a very fast ride to the top of the tourism industry.

“I’ve learned that you’ve got to work for it. We haven’t stopped. We haven’t even slowed down,” he said. “We have great potential. (Mason County) could be quite a destination.”