BCHS AUDIT NEWS; PUFFERBILLY IS CONCELED

     BREAKING NEWS 1: After two long and anxious years, those, near and far away, interested in the Boone County Historical Society, finally have some answers.
     It was June of 2016 when Boone Mayor John Slight asked for a state audit due to community concerns regarding the financial status of the BCHS.
     Wednesday, State Auditor Rob Sand and his staff released a thorough, 40-page  report on its special investigation of the BCHS.
     Briefly, Sand reported that the audit found improper spending, inadequate fiscal oversight and incompetence on the part of former board members of the society.
     The report makes it obvious that former Executive Director Mara MacKay, with or without board approval, and, in many various ways, handled the society's finances in a frivolous way. She had been offered the position on February 18, 2016, with a start date no later than March 28, 2016.
     According to the report, Ms. MacKay earned a three-year salary of $169,817.48, with a high total of $69,798.66 in 2016. She also received $800 health insurance per month that totaled $24,395.09, an additional $2,985.01 for a cell phone purchase and $1,339.55 for use of an I-pad during that period. The grand total of her three-year salary package was $198,537.13. In addition to salary, she had been approved for the health insurance and cell phone allowances but there was no documentation of board approval for the I-Pad or use of its cellular data.
     Eventually, Ms. MacKay was terminated August 31, 2018 and the board was replaced in February, 2019.
     From January of 2016 to September of 2018, the nonprofit's revenues dropped from $350,018 to just $12,266 and it was this steady slide in revenues that sparked questions from society members.
     The investigation also identified $3,562.51 of improper disbursements, $43,680.32 of unsupported disbursements and $17,486.40 of disbursements for which the benefit served was not clear cut or documented.
     Probably in an effort to improve its financial standing, Ms. MacKay and her board made an attempt to sell a BCHS landmark, the Mamie Doud Eisenhower birthplace, and that proposal added to the member's fire, increasing the numerous questions being asked. A realtor had already been contacted in September of 2018 but former members of the society filed a lawsuit and won a fight to stop the proposed sale.
     The report includes recommendations to strengthen BCHS' internal controls and operations, such as improvements to the budgeting process, better fiscal management, and stronger oversight by the board.
     In a statement Wednesday, the society's current leadership said the audit, "appears to have been warranted." Current President Jessica Stanley said, "the information provided by the State Audit will help the Society develop better procedures for budgeting, internal financial controls, and management of Society funds."
     After the removal of Ms. MacKay and her board, a group of dedicated volunteers took up the challenge of keeping the BCHS afloat during very troubled times. A permanent Executive Director has not been determined but a complete new board has been elected and is now performing needed duties.
     Ms. Stanley commented, "our board wants to assure BCHS members and Boone County residents that we are being completely transparent and are already working on ways to improve our museums and guidelines so we can open to the public soon and continue to be a valued resource to Boone County."
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     BREAKING NEWS 2: A late Friday afternoon (yesterday) news release from the Boone County Chamber of Commerce relays the news many residents were anticipating with regret.
     The 2020 Pufferbilly Days celebration has been canceled.
     The statement from the Chamber read, "after much consideration, deliberation, research and countless hours of working to find solutions that would provide a safe and fun environment for patrons that would attend the Pufferbilly Days festival, the Boone County Chamber of Commerce has decided to cancel the celebration for 2020."
     The statement indicated that a number of factors played a part in arriving at this decision. Basically, its the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus that was the main factor. Guidance from the Boone County Board of Health indicated that current case numbers have not declined to the levels previously expected; if the two events preceeding the festival, the Farm Progress Show and IMCA Super Nationals, are held as currently planned, there's a potential for a surge of additional cases that could tax local healthcare resources; two key buildings used by Pufferbilly are now occupied by COVID-19 testing; its been difficult finding enough volunteers; and key event registrations are far behind normal numbers.
     The release concluded, "in arriving at this difficult decision, we believe that the challenge to provide a safe and fun environment is unattainable, financially unfeasable, and would leave our loyal festival-goers too vulnerable to the transmission of the coronavirus."
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     BOONE CONNECTED DEATHS: Lester Anderson, 94, Boone. Grew up in rural Greene County. Beaver HS-44, where he was class president. Married Norma Jean Miller in 1951. Les had a long career as an employee of NAPA, everything from mechanic up to store manager. Survivors include his wife, Norma, and son, Jim, of Boone. Also surviving is another son, Larry, a sister, and a brother, Gerald Anderson, of Ogden...........Lula Cummins, 75, Gowrie. Formerly of Boone. Survivors include a son, Michael Cummins, of Boone. Also surviving are another son, a daughter and brother.........June Bork, 101, Minneapolis, MN. Formerly of Ogden. Born in Ogden. Lived on a farm in rural Ogden. Married Ray Bork and they had three children. She taught at Page Elementary school in Boone for 30 years. After retirement was involved in numerous Boone organizations including the historical society and Scenic Valley railroad. Two sons and a daughter survive.
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