Hagood Mill Plan

I enjoy reading the articles and letters to the editor concerning the Hagood Mill. As the public becomes more educated on the issue, public participation in the process has grown and hopefully this time the final decision by the council will have the public’s wishes in mind. Most above Highway 183 want grassroots tourism supported by local volunteers, with the purpose of protecting our wildlife and natural resources, while putting forth the Appalachian heritage, its community and family traditions.

This has been at the heart of the conflict. For instance, they grind grits at the mill and sell them. The volunteers see the heritage in the 150 year old grinding process and their purpose is to preserve that tradition. Chairman Roy Costner, the county administration and much of the council see the dollars, and want to commercialize the mill at the expense of the heritage aspect.

The idea of turning over the operation and strategic planning of the mill to the local volunteers and the Hagood Mill board is a good one. The key will be who is on the board, as well as the model used to carry out this effort.

The Hagood Mill board needs four ingredients: all members must understand and desire to preserve the Appalachian heritage and put forward the mountain community in the effort. Some on the board must be skilled in soliciting donations and boosting revenue. Others must be capable in recruiting and motivating, as well as valuing the efforts of volunteers. Finally the board needs a member or two who reminds all to wisely manage the monies and keep the effort on budget.

When it comes to government, funding and control go hand in hand, unfortunately. I used to always laugh when school district administrators would complain about federal government mandates. I’d say, from the state department of education down to ya’ll, you begged for federal money. Now, what did you expect? The money and them controlling how you spend it goes hand in hand in politics.

Conversely, if the county council is going to give up the control and setting the direction of the mill, expect less funding to come from the county council. As a result private fund raising and generating revenue will become much more important to the Hagood Mill board.The county can help by incentivizing the mill volunteers by creating a matching program. Beyond the some basic operations monies the county will provide, every dollar the mill volunteers raise the county should match dollar for dollar. Second, the state delegation has to be more mindful of snagging state grants and funding aimed at tourism, preserving wildlife and natural resources, and the rural culture of our state. Next, booking acts and scheduling shows on the third Saturday that are in line with the strategic purpose and draw paying crowds will be more important than ever. Finally, events like opening up the mill grounds to weddings, conferences and reunions will be more important and require some investment in the facility.