CAEZ Meets
Our most
troubled social service agency, the Central Appalachia
Empowerment Zone (CAEZ) continued their path of wayward ways
on May 2nd during their monthly Board meeting.
A local agency can do as they darn well please until it affects the entire county and the future of the whole place. If you don't know what we're talking about, walk over to the COMMUNICATOR ONLINE newspaper section and read our coverage from the last six months.
Basically, the CAEZ holds the key to our tourism future with their ownership of the Dundon Campground which is located right beside the ERTS State park and the BC&G RR rights of way. For our tourism economy to grow, AKA a rail ride on the BC&G RR tracks, that track side campground has to switch ownership to a group that can immediately grow it and expand its offerings.
The CAEZ does not have the needed leadership nor financial backing to do anything more barely hang on. If the CAEZ would go belly up, that could be the only thing worse than continuing as it is.
Back in Nov the Elk River Trail Foundation approached the CAEZ to get them to "gift" the Foundation the campground. Back then the Foundation said they could get their hands on $1M for rehab of the place. The Board voted 7 to 3 to give away the campground
In Dec, the CAEZ approached the W VA DNR and asked them to take the place. It's our understanding, in reply, the DNR provided: we don't have have the $$$ even if we were interested in the place.
In Nov and again in March, a newly reformatted CAEZ Bd voted to gift the place to that Foundation for the sake of growing Clayberry.
In each case, a dimly lit minority of the Board with little knowledge of the potential future, took back the give away.
Now, for the latest effort to save our new economy, the group that actually owns the BC&G RR rights of way, the West Virginia Railroad Authority, came to a CAEZ Bd meeting and made another request.
Here goes with that topic....
Lucinda Cindy Butler
Commissioner
W Va Division of Multimodal Transportation
AKA known as the W Va Rail Authority
A local agency can do as they darn well please until it affects the entire county and the future of the whole place. If you don't know what we're talking about, walk over to the COMMUNICATOR ONLINE newspaper section and read our coverage from the last six months.
Basically, the CAEZ holds the key to our tourism future with their ownership of the Dundon Campground which is located right beside the ERTS State park and the BC&G RR rights of way. For our tourism economy to grow, AKA a rail ride on the BC&G RR tracks, that track side campground has to switch ownership to a group that can immediately grow it and expand its offerings.
The CAEZ does not have the needed leadership nor financial backing to do anything more barely hang on. If the CAEZ would go belly up, that could be the only thing worse than continuing as it is.
Back in Nov the Elk River Trail Foundation approached the CAEZ to get them to "gift" the Foundation the campground. Back then the Foundation said they could get their hands on $1M for rehab of the place. The Board voted 7 to 3 to give away the campground
In Dec, the CAEZ approached the W VA DNR and asked them to take the place. It's our understanding, in reply, the DNR provided: we don't have have the $$$ even if we were interested in the place.
In Nov and again in March, a newly reformatted CAEZ Bd voted to gift the place to that Foundation for the sake of growing Clayberry.
In each case, a dimly lit minority of the Board with little knowledge of the potential future, took back the give away.
Now, for the latest effort to save our new economy, the group that actually owns the BC&G RR rights of way, the West Virginia Railroad Authority, came to a CAEZ Bd meeting and made another request.
Here goes with that topic....
Lucinda Cindy Butler
Commissioner
W Va Division of Multimodal Transportation
AKA known as the W Va Rail Authority
Commissioner Cindy Butler is well spoken, believable, down
to Earth, rep from the State. She told the newest latest,
CAEZ Bd reincarnation team:
We bought the BC&G RR spur line, we own it
Her Multimodal Transportation Division is what we refer to as the Rail Authority
They have reached out to many tourist train operators in search of one of those experienced operators to come here, set up and run a rail ride on the BC&G tracks
The tracks are in good shape again, ready to go, but to attract one of the pro outfits to set up here, additional infrastructure has to be provided to entice em.
NOTE: Butler was talking about furnishing a space for a RR office, ticket stand, trinket shop, camp sites and other lodging like cabins and lodge rooms. Parking spaces are also needed in the worst way.
Back to Ms Butler:
Talking to the CAEZ Board: What are your intentions with the campground? Are you interested in leasing it out to the State or some contractor?... Are you talking about the whole place? Just the parking slots?... Just the lodge rooms?... Are you talking long term? We need that infrastructure to attract a contractor and we need your decision by May 11th.
NOTE: Contractor bids for the rail rides have to be turned in by May 15th. To be included in the actual bid proposals, Butler has to let them know BEFORE that due date what infrastructure is available.
Commissioner Butler added: we have to give them something or they're not interested. Gulp!
Butler tried to explain to the CAEZ Board, it is easier for a state agency to make the offer of infrastructure on a long term basis than say a struggling, warring, falling apart, one horse, non profit agency. She didn't of course use those words but we know that's what she's dealing with. For the big boys to come here they want to know nothing will change during the next CAEZ bar room brawl.
Here's an example, when the private company came in and took over the operating in the red ($1.7M) Cass Scenic Railroad, that take over included the three story company store there and the operations within.
Over in Elkins when the private business took that failing railroad over, the enticement was the newly remodeled Elkins Train Depot and a promise to grow other venues (motels, music hall) nearby.
When that contractor took over the Durbin Rocket, a historic train depot sweetened the pot as well as an established downtown Durbin business district, restaurant and trinket shops.
CAEZ Chair Leslie Osborne asked about a deal between the winning contractor and the CAEZ; if the CAEZ isn't willing to give up the lodge building, would a contractor be interested if we built them a new building and leased it to em?; and on and on.
Eight year on the CAEZ Board member Merlin Shamblin: CAEZ is here to help grow other businesses and not do the business ourselves.
Butler: We don't want to scare em [away]... We need to help em... if the infrastructure is not here, we would not get a proposal from em....We have to give em enough to get their interest....
Butler felt with reasonable certainty that the W Va Legislature would fund the deal for the Rail Authority.
Butler was wanting some kind of consensus (if not a vote) that the CAEZ would gift their campground so they could move on with the bidding process on May 15th. Instead, all the CAEZ could muster was a lack luster, dragging their feets, we will talk later.
Even the not so bright in the head David Schoolcraft saw exactly what Butler was needing, Schoocraft: They are interested in the whole place!
Again Boardster Shamblin tried to get them to see the obvious, give the Rail Authority the whole campground. We're not sure if any of the others were or were able to understand!
We're not talking about some kind of fly by night operation coming to County Clay. We're talking about some out of state company investing millions in this new operation and then making profits to pay it all back. For instance, the Potomac Eagle in Elkins was taking in over 60,000 riders annually in2019. Now, after COVID, their number have come up to nearly 30,000 riders in 2022 and growing.
Readers, do you know what 30,000 new tourists would do for our economy? If each of em coughed up $10 per visit, that's quite a nice chunk of change.
One of the possible bidders is the Rail Explorer's bike riders which already has operations in four other states and wants to come here. When the Rail Explorer owners were here, if awarded the contract, they expect to draw 50,000 riders per year as is the case at their other tourist draws.
And now, for something that went right in one Boardster ear and out the other, from Cindy Butler: If we can't get this agreement, there are other options.
Options?
Here's what Butler did NOT say.
Instead of the Town of Clay benefiting from a rail ride, the hub of that draw could be located in Cressmont where there's plenty enough land for a campground, sales office, depot, trinket building. If that would happen, County Clay would get little financial benefit and rightly so! As for the CAEZ campground, it would remain until the CAEZ goes out of business.
Or, the hub of the rail rides could be down at Dundon on the old Newt Bragg property where ERTS hiking trail and river access are particularly attractive to foreigners.
Or, just above the Clay Little League ball field, where the parking lot is not graveled, that could be used as the trail hub since it's right beside the tracks.
In any of those three scenarios , the CAEZ is going to lose out. Should it happen, it serves them well for holding the entire county hostage for a solid five months of arguing and setbacks.
In a nutshell, the rail ride contract will be awarded sometime in June 2023. Without the needed infrastructure, some bidders may (will) shy away.
Thank you Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone.
PART 2
CAEZ went thru a third regime change last month. When the dust settled, Leslie Osborne was elected Prez of CAEZ for a 12 month term. Because Osborne has a working brain and some common sense, the CAEZ has a chance of struggling along for a few more months.
About that brain....
During the May meeting, it was Osborne that asked about other possible options for a relationship with the W Va Rail Authority, she was trying to get some wiggle room. Ms Osborne is the one that is suppose to talk with the Commissioner before the May 11th time limit.
It was Osborne that said: CAEZ will hold off doing any camp ground projects until they know their direction.
It was Osborne that gave some organization for the campground, Boardster Connie Kinder will handle the money from the campground proceeds and, "No one is actually running the campground right now, the Board needs to help out."
And bestest of all, it was Leslie Osborne that stopped the bad mouthing of the former office manager Michelle Bodkins. Osborne said she didn't feel right about the smacking since Bodkins was not present.
Back during the Nov 2022 Board meeting, just a few minutes after their public meeting, that Board voted to hold an Emergency meeting to discuss and vote a motion to give away the Dundon Campground to the Elk River Foundation.
For the Dec Board meeting, warring board with Mickey Boggs leading the charge, dumb shirts provided, you can NOT have such an emergency meeting and with just a few Boardster present, we won't recognize anything decided during that emergency meeting.
Get this. Are you sitting down?
The new and improved Board voted to hold an emergency meeting right after the regular meeting on May 2nd. Yelp, they did exactly what was not allowed back in Nov 2022.
They were in secret time from 8:50 to 9:22pm. Back in public, with the dust settled, the vote passed to pay former Office Manager Michelle Bodkins for all the stuff CAEZ owed her.
Look for an Office Manager job description to be posted soon. Can you imagine anyone in their right mind trying to handle such trumped work? Also, in addition to the low wages, don't expect any normal employee benefits like worker's compensation, sick leave, social security...
Some one needs to explain the difference between an employee and a contractor before they get in real trouble.
AW
We bought the BC&G RR spur line, we own it
Her Multimodal Transportation Division is what we refer to as the Rail Authority
They have reached out to many tourist train operators in search of one of those experienced operators to come here, set up and run a rail ride on the BC&G tracks
The tracks are in good shape again, ready to go, but to attract one of the pro outfits to set up here, additional infrastructure has to be provided to entice em.
NOTE: Butler was talking about furnishing a space for a RR office, ticket stand, trinket shop, camp sites and other lodging like cabins and lodge rooms. Parking spaces are also needed in the worst way.
Back to Ms Butler:
Talking to the CAEZ Board: What are your intentions with the campground? Are you interested in leasing it out to the State or some contractor?... Are you talking about the whole place? Just the parking slots?... Just the lodge rooms?... Are you talking long term? We need that infrastructure to attract a contractor and we need your decision by May 11th.
NOTE: Contractor bids for the rail rides have to be turned in by May 15th. To be included in the actual bid proposals, Butler has to let them know BEFORE that due date what infrastructure is available.
Commissioner Butler added: we have to give them something or they're not interested. Gulp!
Butler tried to explain to the CAEZ Board, it is easier for a state agency to make the offer of infrastructure on a long term basis than say a struggling, warring, falling apart, one horse, non profit agency. She didn't of course use those words but we know that's what she's dealing with. For the big boys to come here they want to know nothing will change during the next CAEZ bar room brawl.
Here's an example, when the private company came in and took over the operating in the red ($1.7M) Cass Scenic Railroad, that take over included the three story company store there and the operations within.
Over in Elkins when the private business took that failing railroad over, the enticement was the newly remodeled Elkins Train Depot and a promise to grow other venues (motels, music hall) nearby.
When that contractor took over the Durbin Rocket, a historic train depot sweetened the pot as well as an established downtown Durbin business district, restaurant and trinket shops.
CAEZ Chair Leslie Osborne asked about a deal between the winning contractor and the CAEZ; if the CAEZ isn't willing to give up the lodge building, would a contractor be interested if we built them a new building and leased it to em?; and on and on.
Eight year on the CAEZ Board member Merlin Shamblin: CAEZ is here to help grow other businesses and not do the business ourselves.
Butler: We don't want to scare em [away]... We need to help em... if the infrastructure is not here, we would not get a proposal from em....We have to give em enough to get their interest....
Butler felt with reasonable certainty that the W Va Legislature would fund the deal for the Rail Authority.
Butler was wanting some kind of consensus (if not a vote) that the CAEZ would gift their campground so they could move on with the bidding process on May 15th. Instead, all the CAEZ could muster was a lack luster, dragging their feets, we will talk later.
Even the not so bright in the head David Schoolcraft saw exactly what Butler was needing, Schoocraft: They are interested in the whole place!
Again Boardster Shamblin tried to get them to see the obvious, give the Rail Authority the whole campground. We're not sure if any of the others were or were able to understand!
We're not talking about some kind of fly by night operation coming to County Clay. We're talking about some out of state company investing millions in this new operation and then making profits to pay it all back. For instance, the Potomac Eagle in Elkins was taking in over 60,000 riders annually in2019. Now, after COVID, their number have come up to nearly 30,000 riders in 2022 and growing.
Readers, do you know what 30,000 new tourists would do for our economy? If each of em coughed up $10 per visit, that's quite a nice chunk of change.
One of the possible bidders is the Rail Explorer's bike riders which already has operations in four other states and wants to come here. When the Rail Explorer owners were here, if awarded the contract, they expect to draw 50,000 riders per year as is the case at their other tourist draws.
And now, for something that went right in one Boardster ear and out the other, from Cindy Butler: If we can't get this agreement, there are other options.
Options?
Here's what Butler did NOT say.
Instead of the Town of Clay benefiting from a rail ride, the hub of that draw could be located in Cressmont where there's plenty enough land for a campground, sales office, depot, trinket building. If that would happen, County Clay would get little financial benefit and rightly so! As for the CAEZ campground, it would remain until the CAEZ goes out of business.
Or, the hub of the rail rides could be down at Dundon on the old Newt Bragg property where ERTS hiking trail and river access are particularly attractive to foreigners.
Or, just above the Clay Little League ball field, where the parking lot is not graveled, that could be used as the trail hub since it's right beside the tracks.
In any of those three scenarios , the CAEZ is going to lose out. Should it happen, it serves them well for holding the entire county hostage for a solid five months of arguing and setbacks.
In a nutshell, the rail ride contract will be awarded sometime in June 2023. Without the needed infrastructure, some bidders may (will) shy away.
Thank you Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone.
PART 2
CAEZ went thru a third regime change last month. When the dust settled, Leslie Osborne was elected Prez of CAEZ for a 12 month term. Because Osborne has a working brain and some common sense, the CAEZ has a chance of struggling along for a few more months.
About that brain....
During the May meeting, it was Osborne that asked about other possible options for a relationship with the W Va Rail Authority, she was trying to get some wiggle room. Ms Osborne is the one that is suppose to talk with the Commissioner before the May 11th time limit.
It was Osborne that said: CAEZ will hold off doing any camp ground projects until they know their direction.
It was Osborne that gave some organization for the campground, Boardster Connie Kinder will handle the money from the campground proceeds and, "No one is actually running the campground right now, the Board needs to help out."
And bestest of all, it was Leslie Osborne that stopped the bad mouthing of the former office manager Michelle Bodkins. Osborne said she didn't feel right about the smacking since Bodkins was not present.
Back during the Nov 2022 Board meeting, just a few minutes after their public meeting, that Board voted to hold an Emergency meeting to discuss and vote a motion to give away the Dundon Campground to the Elk River Foundation.
For the Dec Board meeting, warring board with Mickey Boggs leading the charge, dumb shirts provided, you can NOT have such an emergency meeting and with just a few Boardster present, we won't recognize anything decided during that emergency meeting.
Get this. Are you sitting down?
The new and improved Board voted to hold an emergency meeting right after the regular meeting on May 2nd. Yelp, they did exactly what was not allowed back in Nov 2022.
They were in secret time from 8:50 to 9:22pm. Back in public, with the dust settled, the vote passed to pay former Office Manager Michelle Bodkins for all the stuff CAEZ owed her.
Look for an Office Manager job description to be posted soon. Can you imagine anyone in their right mind trying to handle such trumped work? Also, in addition to the low wages, don't expect any normal employee benefits like worker's compensation, sick leave, social security...
Some one needs to explain the difference between an employee and a contractor before they get in real trouble.
AW
