RIPLEY, W.Va. — What was considered a shaky future for the Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Jackson County looks a lot more certain after an infusion of cash from the Justice Administration. The Governor’s office was able to come up with an appropriation of $1.7 Million from his civil contingency fund to replace funding lost during the last two fiscal years due to the pandemic.
“The facility experienced a 30-percent revenue decrease in fiscal year ’20 and an 80-percent revenue decrease in fiscal year ’21 just because we were not able to host events, classes, or camps at the facility itself,” said Department of Agriculture Spokesman Crescent Gallagher.
State Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt told lawmakers during the Legislative Session the losses were mounting and without help from somewhere it was looking more and more likely the longtime facility might have to be closed. Temporary staff was laid off and those still on the payroll were directed toward long deferred maintenance projects.
Since July 2016, the WVDA has addressed $578,968 in maintenance needs originally deferred by the West Virginia Department of Education, as well as started renovation of the Assembly Hall with an estimated cost of $1,422,466. These renovations have been supported by additional appropriations from the Legislature.
Gallagher said with the Governor’s funding to replace the losses, the facility outside of Ripley is enjoying a much brighter future. It’s expected to survive the pandemic and be operational for many years to come with even better service to customers after the improvements were made and more are being planned.
“Cedar Lakes is open to the public, taking events, and planning for the future. We’re hoping to bring all of our customers back that we’ve had in previous years and provide more services to the local community. We think Cedar Lakes is important to the state of West Virginia and especially to the Jackson County area,” Gallagher said.
As more restrictions are lifted officials expect more events will be booked at the facility and they are encouraged by the return of one of the biggest, the Mountain State Art and Craft Fair will return July 2-4 this year.