Will Mayfield Heritage Foundation plans community forum Loss of the Museum dinosaur exhibit possible

Join the Will Mayfield Heritage Foundation and the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Mayfield Cultural Center and take part in a

community meeting to help the foundation determine future development of the Cultural Center and Museum atop Mayfield Hill.

Almost 20 years ago a group of civic and business leaders in Bollinger County assembled to envision the use of these buildings. During this time, much change has come to the hill as both boards are experiencing financial and social challenges.

Thus the time has come to re-examine decisions made in the past and envision the next 20 years. The foundation board wants the people who helped make the Cultural Center and Museum what it is today have a voice in deciding what is best for our community in the future.

Community leader Robert Fulton of Patton has submitted the following article to illustrate the immediacy of the situation.

The Future Is Now!

By Robert Fulton

I participated in the formation of the Will Mayfield Heritage Foundation and served as its president for about 10 years. While I am no longer on the Foundation board, I've tried to follow closely developments relating to the Museum of Natural History and the Mayfield Cultural Center. The two buildings which were originally part of the Will Mayfield College are both owned by the Foundation.

There is considerable urgency surrounding the meeting on Sept. 28 announced by the Foundation and Museum boards. Regarding the Museum, it is likely that most of the dinosaur, fossil, rocks and other exhibits owned by Guy and Doris Darrough will be withdrawn soon. The Darroughs have commitments to other museums and may choose to move their exhibits to them. This would be a serious blow to the local Museum.

The Cultural Center has operated on a shoestring ever since it opened in 2014. The rehabilitation of the building took more money then was available through State of Missouri tax credit financing. As a result, the Foundation was left with no financial cushion to support the start-up operations. In recent months, the managers of the Center who also operate the Mayfield Cafe have worked largely on a volunteer basis. Their ability to continue to do that is very questionable.

Unless the community rallies around continued operation of both the Museum and the Cultural Center, one or both could face closure and possible sale to private entities in the near future.

Everyone who considers these two fine historic buildings and the services they now provide important to the community is urged to attend the Sept. 28 meeting at 7 p.m., at the Mayfield Cultural Center.