Feb 7 2023
CAEZ Bd Meeting
Central
Appalachia Empowerment Zone (CAEZ) held their once a
month public meeting on Tuesday Feb 7th. In the past,
during the last several years, few have showed up for the
board meeting. In the way of making plans, applying for
grants, starting new social service programs... they have
been none existent. There has been no enthusiasm
among the Board. They show up, say Ho Hum, and then go
home for another 30 days.
That all changed in Nov 2022 when the meeting hall was packed. Ditto for the Dec '22 gathering. At issue was giving away the CAEZ campground in Dundon. In Nov, the vote was 7 to 3 to "gift" the campground to another non profit, Elk River Foundation. That vote was taken immediately after the regular Board meeting during a properly called and noticed, emergency meeting.
In Dec, the CAEZ Chair, Mickey Boggs, said the vote to gift was bogus and she refused to OK minutes from that emergency meeting. No minutes means, no vote happened. It was tossed aside.
Behind the scene, things have been happening and not good things. It feels like, Chair Boggs has a side agenda to fire the campground caretaker and the CAEZ's only employee, Michelle Bodkins. Both people are valuable to the organization but both have shown a propensity to challenge off the wall demands of the Chair.
Read on folks....
That all changed in Nov 2022 when the meeting hall was packed. Ditto for the Dec '22 gathering. At issue was giving away the CAEZ campground in Dundon. In Nov, the vote was 7 to 3 to "gift" the campground to another non profit, Elk River Foundation. That vote was taken immediately after the regular Board meeting during a properly called and noticed, emergency meeting.
In Dec, the CAEZ Chair, Mickey Boggs, said the vote to gift was bogus and she refused to OK minutes from that emergency meeting. No minutes means, no vote happened. It was tossed aside.
Behind the scene, things have been happening and not good things. It feels like, Chair Boggs has a side agenda to fire the campground caretaker and the CAEZ's only employee, Michelle Bodkins. Both people are valuable to the organization but both have shown a propensity to challenge off the wall demands of the Chair.
Read on folks....
Mickey Boggs, VP Michael Martin, and Michelle Bodkins
For
Feb 7 2023, we counted upwards of 20 people around the
conference table. County Clay reps on the CAEZ Board
include: County Commissioner Connie Kinder, Amanda
Shelton, Leslie Osborne, Mickey Boggs, and Linda Rhodes.
Right out of the chute Office Manager Michelle Bodkins challenged what was presented as meeting minutes (the attendees) from the last gathering. She demanded the changes be made right then, before voting on the meeting minutes.. She was taking no BS from Ms Boggs. From the feisty Michelle Bodkins, "I want this checked right now!!"
Next up was agenda listing: Personnel Matters - RV Rent. Neither of those headings meet Open Meetings Law requirements. None the less, Boggs asked for secret time but not before heated exchanges.
First, Bodkins, the lone employee of CAEZ, didn't want to be talked about by the Board without her being present, behind closed doors. Knowing full well Boggs' plans to rub her name in the mud in secret, Bodkins would have no part of going away quietly.
Second, here's a new one readers.
One lady read from the CAEZ by laws which mandates how a board meeting is to conducted and in what order to cover the topics. It was in plain black and white but Boggs challenged plain English.
Things steamed up quickly. Boggs conceded to just going over "RV Rent" during secret time.
It was important for Team Boggs to get behind closed doors. They had to get their heads together without taxpayers seeing what was going on.
We're not sure what all was decided or even discussed but afterwards, the Board voted in lock step to raise rent from $450 per month to $500 per month on the only long term renter at the campground. Scratch scratch your head... they have one paying renter and they raise his rent. Does that make sense to anyone?
This festering boil flared up about every turn of the meeting. Little things were punched in.
Like, Vice Prez Michael Martin made public, the campground was doing very little business on week days, 'We're doing hardly any middle of the week business..."
Sort of picking at the scab, Ms Boggs kept questioning travel expenses presented by Michelle Bodkins. That was something that Boggs wanted to make sound questionable. Something about doing three different travel logs in one day.
Whatever cloud Boggs was trying to float by, didn't work. Instead, travel mileage was increased for Ms Bodkins.
While it's true members of the dimly lit Board turned down an offer to give away the Dundon Campground three months ago, there's still some glimmering hope that it might still happen.
During this meeting came discussion on advertising the campground and building a new cabin. Neither item was approved. There was hesitancy on the air.
Right out of the chute Office Manager Michelle Bodkins challenged what was presented as meeting minutes (the attendees) from the last gathering. She demanded the changes be made right then, before voting on the meeting minutes.. She was taking no BS from Ms Boggs. From the feisty Michelle Bodkins, "I want this checked right now!!"
Next up was agenda listing: Personnel Matters - RV Rent. Neither of those headings meet Open Meetings Law requirements. None the less, Boggs asked for secret time but not before heated exchanges.
First, Bodkins, the lone employee of CAEZ, didn't want to be talked about by the Board without her being present, behind closed doors. Knowing full well Boggs' plans to rub her name in the mud in secret, Bodkins would have no part of going away quietly.
Second, here's a new one readers.
One lady read from the CAEZ by laws which mandates how a board meeting is to conducted and in what order to cover the topics. It was in plain black and white but Boggs challenged plain English.
Things steamed up quickly. Boggs conceded to just going over "RV Rent" during secret time.
It was important for Team Boggs to get behind closed doors. They had to get their heads together without taxpayers seeing what was going on.
We're not sure what all was decided or even discussed but afterwards, the Board voted in lock step to raise rent from $450 per month to $500 per month on the only long term renter at the campground. Scratch scratch your head... they have one paying renter and they raise his rent. Does that make sense to anyone?
This festering boil flared up about every turn of the meeting. Little things were punched in.
Like, Vice Prez Michael Martin made public, the campground was doing very little business on week days, 'We're doing hardly any middle of the week business..."
Sort of picking at the scab, Ms Boggs kept questioning travel expenses presented by Michelle Bodkins. That was something that Boggs wanted to make sound questionable. Something about doing three different travel logs in one day.
Whatever cloud Boggs was trying to float by, didn't work. Instead, travel mileage was increased for Ms Bodkins.
While it's true members of the dimly lit Board turned down an offer to give away the Dundon Campground three months ago, there's still some glimmering hope that it might still happen.
During this meeting came discussion on advertising the campground and building a new cabin. Neither item was approved. There was hesitancy on the air.
CAEZ Prez Mickey Boggs
After about
90 minutes of public meeting time, some Boardsters started
peeling out, they had other things to do. That was about
the same time that puss filled scab exploded.
With some Boardsters standing and pointing, and others just making sure their loud exchanges were loud enough to be heard, discussion went to dirty dealing stuff like the Chair installing secret cameras over at a fifth wheel trailer. Then came that secret meeting at the campground where select members of the CAEZ Board met with W Va DNR officials.
On the secret cameras.... the owner of that camper was real upset over the invasion of her privacy. She got hot and said she was considering the hiring of an attorney.
On that meeting with DNR officials, we drove past the campground while that was going on. ERTS State Park Superintendent Heath Cliver was in attendance for that mid day meeting.
We're guessing now but we think, Mickey Boggs called that gathering together in an attempt to save face and have DNR take the campground. Truth is, W Va DNR has ALWAYS been under budgeted and NEVER has enough $$$ to cover costs. We think the DNR told Boggs and her Select Crew, Yes we would accept the campground but NO we don't have any money set aside to grow it or improve it anytime in the near future.
Keep in mind, back in Nov the Elk River Foundation told the CAEZ: we have assurances that over $1m in grant funds are available to rehab the place, expand the place, and market it. Their deal was, if the free money doesn't happen, the CAEZ would keep the campground. That's a marriage made in heaven and one the CAEZ dashed away.
What's the big deal? Clayberry needs a real campground and hotel rooms to help grow the tourism business. If the travelers can't find a place to stay overnight, we can't get all their fresh new $$$.
With the train rides most likely getting underway this Summer or early Fall, we need to be ready for tourists. The Foundation was the best hope for a quick start on new lodge rooms and camping slots. If the Dundon Campground stays in the hands of the CAEZ, they have no funds available for that needed growth. If the later happens, Clayberry is doomed.
OK back to the meeting...
Things got heated. Chair Boggs decided to adjourn the meeting without covering all the items on the agenda. That came as many in attendance wanted to express their concerns over the pee poor Board management.
With shouting in place, long time, tried and true, long time office manager Michelle Bodkins made it clear: Either Mickey goes or I quit....
At another point, the campground care tacker called Chair Boggs "You are a Snake!"
Here's the deal readers. Ms Bodkins is the only one that knows how to keep the CAEZ books, she's the only one that knows the records, she's the only one that has ANY knowledge of the place. When she leaves, the CAEZ would last about 30 days.That's fine with us but but but....
The truth is, the CAEZ Chair Mickey Boggs messed over the entire county and darkened our future when she engineered the coup to take back the Dundon Campground from the Elk River Foundation and that's unforgivable.
From Richard Cushing: Plain ahead, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark
aw
With some Boardsters standing and pointing, and others just making sure their loud exchanges were loud enough to be heard, discussion went to dirty dealing stuff like the Chair installing secret cameras over at a fifth wheel trailer. Then came that secret meeting at the campground where select members of the CAEZ Board met with W Va DNR officials.
On the secret cameras.... the owner of that camper was real upset over the invasion of her privacy. She got hot and said she was considering the hiring of an attorney.
On that meeting with DNR officials, we drove past the campground while that was going on. ERTS State Park Superintendent Heath Cliver was in attendance for that mid day meeting.
We're guessing now but we think, Mickey Boggs called that gathering together in an attempt to save face and have DNR take the campground. Truth is, W Va DNR has ALWAYS been under budgeted and NEVER has enough $$$ to cover costs. We think the DNR told Boggs and her Select Crew, Yes we would accept the campground but NO we don't have any money set aside to grow it or improve it anytime in the near future.
Keep in mind, back in Nov the Elk River Foundation told the CAEZ: we have assurances that over $1m in grant funds are available to rehab the place, expand the place, and market it. Their deal was, if the free money doesn't happen, the CAEZ would keep the campground. That's a marriage made in heaven and one the CAEZ dashed away.
What's the big deal? Clayberry needs a real campground and hotel rooms to help grow the tourism business. If the travelers can't find a place to stay overnight, we can't get all their fresh new $$$.
With the train rides most likely getting underway this Summer or early Fall, we need to be ready for tourists. The Foundation was the best hope for a quick start on new lodge rooms and camping slots. If the Dundon Campground stays in the hands of the CAEZ, they have no funds available for that needed growth. If the later happens, Clayberry is doomed.
OK back to the meeting...
Things got heated. Chair Boggs decided to adjourn the meeting without covering all the items on the agenda. That came as many in attendance wanted to express their concerns over the pee poor Board management.
With shouting in place, long time, tried and true, long time office manager Michelle Bodkins made it clear: Either Mickey goes or I quit....
At another point, the campground care tacker called Chair Boggs "You are a Snake!"
Here's the deal readers. Ms Bodkins is the only one that knows how to keep the CAEZ books, she's the only one that knows the records, she's the only one that has ANY knowledge of the place. When she leaves, the CAEZ would last about 30 days.That's fine with us but but but....
The truth is, the CAEZ Chair Mickey Boggs messed over the entire county and darkened our future when she engineered the coup to take back the Dundon Campground from the Elk River Foundation and that's unforgivable.
From Richard Cushing: Plain ahead, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark
aw