FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
To be archived (Administration, Jackson's Mill) after September 1 , 2009
Note: This Letter to the Editor was sent to newspapers serving Lewis County, home of WVU Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp.
June 11, 2009
Dear Editor,
There has been much public discussion about the recent decision by the Stonewall Jackson Jubilee Board to cancel the Jubilee. I hope this letter will provide some context and factual information about the events leading up to the Board's decision.
WVU Extension Service and Jackson's Mill staff were actually surprised and disappointed by the Board's decision to cancel this year's festival. We learned about it through news reports, and were quite surprised that we were made the scapegoats.
The Board is very much aware that Jackson’s Mill and its staff are available to them that weekend. Further, we offered our assistance to the Board for the 2009 event, but it was not accepted.
The facts: Earlier this year, in January, I met with the Jubilee Board. They told me they were in debt and were considering canceling the event since it was in financial trouble. We offered to work with them to revise their budget and programming, but the information we requested in order to do so was not provided.
In talking with the Board and with members of the community, we heard over and over that the Jubilee is always the same and needs something new to attract more people. We had hoped our involvement would be able to bring new ideas and reach new people, but the Board was not receptive to the changes suggested.
Unfortunately, our WVU Extension agent in Lewis County resigned from the Board last month because the panel was so negative toward her efforts to bring in new programs that would appeal to youth and families.
My offer to the Jubilee Board was to provide services of WVU faculty and staff for developing programs and marketing the Jubilee. The Jubilee would not have been charged for services that would have ranged from $50,000 to $75,000. However, as a state agency, WVU-ES has not provided and cannot provide cash to help the Jubilee or any other group.
At the January meeting, the Board asked for the $27,000 owed to Jackson’s Mill to be waived. While I could not just erase the debt, we were able to work within our Extension budget to find the funds to pay the Mill, which brought the Jubilee Board out of debt.
Some have even questioned the $27,000 fee at the Mill. Jackson’s Mill is committed to keeping costs at a reasonable level for the Jubilee as well as other customers, but there are real expenses involved in a four-day event. In addition to the low cost to rent the facility, other costs include purchasing the food, preparing the buildings and grounds and paying the hard-working Mill staff for their work in preparing the food, cleaning the rooms, and keeping the grounds clean.
I’m also concerned about reports that I or my staff did not communicate. Over many months, we have communicated with board members in person and by phone. I have personally been accessible by phone. I also met and talked several times with Board members Bob Stultz, Liz Post and Terry Patterson.
I’m sorry that the Jubilee -- along with many other fairs and festivals -- is having to reassess its financial future. As much as we all might like for the Jubilee tradition to continue, the Board is struggling with an event that continues to lose money each year and is unable to pay its bills.
In my letter to the Jubilee Board, I said we will work with them in any way we can. We are able to help by paying the $27,000 that the Jubilee owed to Jackson’s Mill from last year’s event. It is our hope that there is still a future for some type of event at the Mill on Labor Day weekend that will work well for the Mill, for the Jubilee and for Lewis County.
WVU Jackson's Mill and the WVU Extension Service are looking into opportunities for some of the local not-for-profit groups to hold their fund-raisers this summer. We will keep you informed of how we can work together to support these groups in their fund-raising.
I have talked to many people in the last few days who took the time to call to get answers to their questions and better understand the situation. It is my hope that we can move away from accusations and finger pointing and come together on a plan that works for Lewis County, for the Jubilee and its loyal supporters, and for Jackson’s Mill.
Thank you for the chance to provide this information.
Dave Miller,
Associate Provost and Director
WVU Extension Service
—WVU-ES—
CONTACT: Ann Bailey Berry, WVU
Extension Communications
Phone: (304) 293-5691; e-mail: Ann.Berry@mail.wvu.edu
Last modified
June 11, 2009
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