Secret Time and Future in Jeopardy
CAEZ March 10 2020

 

   Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone (CAEZ) held their monthly meeting March 10th over at the Dundon Campground. 6 Boardsters showed up for duty. Clayberry reps Connie Kinder, Fran King, and Linda Rhodes were absent from duty. The CAEZ Director is Connie Lupardus. We named her Big Lup many years ago. The name plate has stuck.
  10 months ago, Big Lup resigned her post. Problem is, she's still there.
  CAEZ with emphasis on their Director, has made it a habit to be less than forthright with the public. Often misleading yarns are spun only to unravel under questioning or down the road. The last five years have been particularly rotten for the non profit. Seems like, feels like, every big idea Big Lup makes public, it turns to crapola as soon as the details unfold.
  Their habit of keeping stuff secret has never worked well for the Valley Fork based agency. For instance...an old audit was made public and revealed, property had never been written off their books, not for many years. When the CPA removed the bogus info, CAEZ assets dropped by $2 million.
   Just a couple years back, during an annual membership meeting, it came to light, the CAEZ was so broke they couldn't afford to have a mandatory annual audit and hadn't had one in years.  For those that don't know, without a current audit, grant givers will NOT even allow a non profit to apply for additional or new funding.

  As for secrecy, on the 10th, they had the front door locked. So much for the public being allowed in the main door. Instead of starting at 6pm as called for by the agenda, it got underway at 6:27pm. As for accomplishments, projects, stuff going on with or by the CAEZ, there is none. Zip. No committees meet regularly while others (like the finance committee) have been disbanded.
  Each year, the group elects a Prez and a Vice Prez. On the 10th, they unanimously re-elected Michael Martin for the lead and Mickey Boggs as back up. That's Mickey above and on the left.


Big Lup on the left and Chair Martin on the right

  WIth nothing going on at CAEZ, conducting actual business lasted just  5 minutes. Then, something interesting happened. That something is what reporter's live for.
   Everything was going smooth and as planned until Chair Michael Martin got his wires tangled. Martin: we are advertising to hire a new Executive Director? Big Lup's mouth fell open. There was silence in the room. Then, you could almost hear the submarine Caption yelling DIVE DIVE DIVE.
  As quickly as she could write it, a note was shoved toward Martin. Unfortunately, the lad couldn't read her handwriting. Martin: Did I NOT say Executive Director????
  He tried again to get it out..... Lup again wrote the clandestine message but this time, with better penmanship.  Still didn't work!   It felt like she was ready to kick him from under the table. Heck, Maybe she did!!
  Finally, Chair Martin got the message and realized, he was not suppose to utter a word in public.   Martin finally got on the same page with the Director and called for Secret Time. From the other end of the table, a Boardster asked the question, What for?
   In reply, Mr Martin, " I could not tell you."   That answer could be taken two ways. One, he didn't want to adhere to open meetings law and let the public know what was going on or Two, he didn't have a clue what was going on.   Either or both explanations show  lack of proper leadership by Director Big Lup.
  6 minutes into the public CAEZ Board meeting, the vote came to go secret. They threw out in the cold a couple senior citizens to wait on the front porch on a rainy night. The Secret Time lasted 59 minutes. Some time after the meeting, the Chair was asked, were any decisions made during the 59 minutes? Answer , No.
  59 minutes readers and no decision made? Here comes a great big Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
   For two years, Big Lup has reported to her Board in glowing terms how wonderful things are going at their day care center at Valley Fork, Kiddie Patch. For this meeting, the Kiddie Patch Director provided a different story. From her words:  We use to have 5 employees; were down to 2; things look bleak; just 6 kids are there; and the biggy, their rates are too high and she hears that comment often.
  What rang in our ears: We're OK for now but two months later??????
  Chair Martin tried twice to get the assembly to adjourn.
  From the peanut gallery came, your agenda item (see above) includes: Future of the CAEZ. Does that mean you're in trouble?
  Martin,  Our future is in jeopardy.
  Question, is it financial jeopardy?
   Martin: There's jeopardy, it's possible
  Gulp! Who the heck are we going to argue with, write about, if the CAEZ closes its doors?
  Martin would not provide the owners of the CAEZ, that's the taxpayers, any details.
  He hurriedly closed the proceedings.
  Take a deep breath readers. This is important stuff for County Clay. While it's true they haven't done anything in years, the CAEZ has something we dearly need.
  Their old Valley Fork Grade School building? Who cares.
  Those out of county apartments? Doesn't affect us one iota
  What they have and what we need is the Dundon Campground and Lodge building. We need those holdings for the new ERTS trail to be a success.. The lodge and camping areas , although too small, they are in place and usable. That lodge building could serve as a Welcome Center and a HUB for ERTS.
  Two years ago, during a public meeting and after hearing of their financial shortcomings, the BDA offered: If you guys go under, the BDA would be interested in this campground.
  If not the BDA, then the State should take it over. Because at least some govt funds were used in the purchase and construction of the place, we do not believe the place could be sold to a private outfit.
  Because of her practice to keep everything top secret and away from the public, it could very well be, Big Lup is already making close out plans but keeping it quiet for as long as possible.
  Because the CAEZ has little to no $$$ to grow, manage, promote the place, if they close their doors by the end of the fiscal year (June 30th) the timing couldn't be better for a new start.
  Keep your ear to the ground readers, this is important.
AW