RIPLEY, W.Va. — Supporters of Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Jackson County say they are worried because their plans to take over the conference center seem to have hit a brick wall.
A ‘Support Cedar Lakes’ rally is scheduled for Monday at the state capitol in hopes of getting the attention of state lawmakers.
A performance audit completed a few years ago recommended the state Department of Education, which currently runs the Ripley-based center, cut ties with Cedar Lakes to help the department’s budget and allow for a refocus of its resources. The Cedar Lakes Foundation stepped forward and said it would assume control of the conference center and legislation passed allowing it to do so but since then there’s been no funding provided with the transfer deadline approaching.
“They wanted us to take it over (in last year’s session) but they’ve kind of put it on the backburner this year,” former Jackson County state Senator and Cedar Lakes Foundation president Karen Facemyer said.
The state Board of Education has told the foundation the governor’s office should take the lead on the transition while the governor’s office has asked the foundation to come up with other options for funding, which Facemyer said it has. But, she said, there’s been very little communication since the 60-day regular session began.
“Cedar Lakes is being forgotten about,” Facemyer concluded. “If we’re going to take ownership by July 1, 2015 there has to be legislation to support that this legislative session or the governor will have to call a special session. Being a former legislator I know that is very unlikely.”
Monday is the final day to introduce bills in the Senate and Tuesday in the House of Delegates but there is extra time for bills that have a direct tie to the state budget.
Facemyer said state money is needed for a few years to help the private foundation get started with its plans to operate the facility. She said there is also money needed to buyout the members of the staff who are now state employees who want to continue to work at Cedar Lakes. Facemyer said the last several months have been frustrating.
“I’ve put phone calls in and different people have put phone calls in to the governor’s office and our local senators and delegates and we haven’t gotten responses back,” she said.
The foundation said keeping Cedar Lakes open would provide $6.1 million economic impact annually to the state along with $700,000 in tax revenues and the creation of 100 jobs.
Facemyer said she doesn’t like the feeling she’s getting about the future of the transfer.
“They will either have to come up with more funding so the state Department of Education can run it another year or…….I hate to think they would shut it down,” she said.
Monday’s rally begins at 1 p.m. in the lower rotunda at the state capitol.