By Crystal Mersh
As promised here is the outcome of the Community Workshop including how you can help and get involved to support the future generations of our community.
As you will recall, the purpose of the workshop was to explain the overall project details and outline a pathway by which our short fall in operating expense of $2 million can be covered. The community both at the meeting as well as on-line and many 1-1 conversations know that it will take coming together and fighting for this amazing opportunity.
Basically we discussed and agreed that we need to prepare for and get to “boot strapping” this project and not waiting on the government to support the project. We can be angry that the grant did not come or we can do what Houners always do and just make it happen with shear force. We decided the later was the path to take.
The key work streams are the following:
- Sweat Equity during the start up phase of each segment of the facility to include the day care, the STEM school and EZ Street Entrepreneur Zone.
- Fund raising to include upcoming events such as the Molasses Festival, planning for a large Spring time auction and gala event, an earlier on-line auction of anything and everything that folks who to contribute (larger items will be auctioned at the live auction/gala in the Spring) and leveraging out many out of town resources who can help us via internet fund raising projects.
- Community engagement at the Fall Festival and Holiday events to continue to develop relationships that can help to fill EZ Street with amazing hand crafted products that highlight our local skills, talents and history.
- Support letter writing/calls to officials to signal your support and to request support for the project.
There will of course be many other opportunities to come, but this is a great start.
Your immediate support is needed with items 2, 3, and 4. We will shift focus after Labor Day to these efforts immediately. You can immediately get involved in the following:
The sign up sheet to help with the Molasses Festival booth has been posted by Shana Beard Spaur. Just let Shana know when u can help.
We need heritage producers for demonstrations/product sales for the Fall Festival. Please have interested parties contact Shari Hardway Johnson to exhibit/sell. Booths are free for those who do demos.
Get signed up for the Antique Car and Tractor Show. Please contact Lexi Gregory for a sign up form/entry fees.
And I will be looking for some sweat equity support soon as we are going to install the Hillbilly Golf Course as a more permanent fixture. We will work on this in October. Please contact me if you can help with this.
More details will come soon on how you can support the two auction events.
We will also be starting up our candy making operations in the fall…..time to be determined but we hope we will have some for the fall festival.
And watch out page for further details of how you can support a letter writing campaign/calls to agencies in support of the project.
Thanks to all who came, and the many who followed up who could not make it in person. It is a humbling experience to know that the community is behind the project clearly sees the impact for the future, and are willing to do the leg work to make it happen.
Once again……..if you were the wise “Businesswoman” you have certainly broadcasted you are, then you would think you would have had back up plans prior to depending on Grant money. Unfortunately, once again your mouth and need for control has landed you in a position to rely and depend on others to bale you out of your situation.
Here you are trying to control and manipulate once again regarding a water increase. Everything has increased. Water is a necessity and here you are trying to start a controversy over it. Is the real reason because you want your community to have that funding to “donate” to your “ambitious” plans that you have failed to plan wisely for?
If you continue to think about yourself being so privileged that you should be notified of scheduled meetingswithout having to do your own research and find out when they are like everyone else has the right and privilege to do then maybe you should not attend in the first place beings that you only think of yourself. These meetings are for proper discussion and resolutions, not for controlling, manipulating individuals seeking an outcome to benefit themselves and what they “want”.
I will once again be more than happy to help with number 4 and write letters to those professionals in regards to why the decisions that have been made are on point and logical regarding your poor planning strategies starting from the beginning to now and for the future.
You have cried Wolfe too many times during your “poor me” tantrums. The majority do not care if you pack up and leave like you spew you are . The majority could care less what you have to spew now about what you “need” from everyone to proceed with your “project” that in the beginning you promised and told you had EVERYTHING planned out for.
Being a fraud does catch up with you. All anyone is gathering out of you now is watching you be a nuisance. Nobody is scared of you and you can run your mouth about this comment to whomever you want if that is what makes your day. You are entitled to your opinion just like I am mine! However, your opinions have lost much integrity!!
I am a CHS graduate and certainly appreciate what has been accomplished since Crystal Mersh returned home. Are you, Britany, from Calhoun County and have you helped improve the economy or outlook for Calhoun County? If so, I would appreciate knowing what you have done. Thanks for your time.
Virginia Bland,
I am very pleased to hear that you certainly appreciate what the hideous “Businesswoman” and many others (you did not include) have accomplished. Numerous individuals certainly appreciate what has been accomplished!
However, the numerous negatives that the “Businesswoman” alone has caused outweighs the accomplishments tremendously. You are entitled to your opinion just like any other person and I am glad you have one. I do not need to lay out to you all of the numerous, unethical reasons I have my own opinion, which led to an extensive investigating process. If you should need that information like I did then feel free to research it and hand out the money it takes to find it out.
After a personal, alarming and very disgusting issue regarding the “Businesswoman” I decided to do my own investigating and get more answers or clues to why she chose to try and destroy someone’s life!!! I had never met or known her my entire life when growing up and starting my own family in Calhoun. After the high amount of funds I handed out for needed information and the HOURS of tedious research I started learning what was being hidden and started putting each piece of information together. I succeeded in getting what I needed and a whole lot more.
So, to answer your questions……..1. Am I from Calhoun County? I spoke of that in the paragraph above, but yes I am from Calhoun just like you said you were.
2. Have I helped improve the economy or outlook on Calhoun County? Without a doubt, yes I absolutely have, currently and will continue to do so!
The last item on your list would be to appreciate knowing what I have done for Calhoun County. I will only list a few for you because in my opinion I do not feel the need to broadcast everything I have done or continue to do. I do not need any appreciation or thanks for what I do. I do it because it is the right thing to do.
I donate to many different fundraising events for that community, from benefits to athletics! Donating to charities and supporting a few small businesses like numerous other people would do to help the economy. All of this not just for Calhoun County, but other counties and communities as well. I have spent much personal time writing letters and filling out forms for the federal government, and different states in regard to things I have discovered that needed desperate attention. The communication back and forth, submitting required documents! Just not so that the Calhoun County community can be aware of such unethical behavior , but so other communities in different states, as well, can be aware of the unethical behavior going on right in front of them. Only to hurt them later and destroy what they have all worked hard towards!!! I have so many messages from individuals in that community that have personally contacted me asking numerous times for me to please be their voice. Please come to these meetings Britany, be our voice!!! So instead of attending the meetings I went behind the scenes further…….after conversations, letters, forms and fees…….she is starting to see the mess she got herself into, but that’s not all YET. Time is my best friend and the process takes time 😀
I WILL NOT LET THEM DOWN!!! I have a TERRIBLE temper, and as I’ve grown, I have learned to control that terrible temper. I will not put myself in a situation that could interfere with controlling my temper the proper way. So I handle things the legal way and that involves very tedious, time consuming, and expensive research to get the correct results. It also requires a lot of time to make sure the correct process is followed precisely! Leaving no loop holes is key to great results! I take pride in my work, as well as, my personal goals. So, yeah I will speak up and defend the communities. Why set back and let not just her, but anyone destroy anything or anyone.
My roots are there in Calhoun County and I will eventually be back there permanently. I will not set back and watch the unethical behavior occur!!! I also will not ask what you do or have done for the economy or outlook for Calhoun County because I would hope since having roots that it’s a given you would still support that community. You are very welcome for my time. If you should choose to agree to disagree with my comment here that’s ok too! Everyone has different feelings and opinions and as long as you haven’t been unethical or betrayed the communities like she has and currently is still doing then all should be good!!! Have a great evening!!
Kind Regards
Britany