[October 02, 2009] Signals break down: Official says lack of communication caused 4-H Expo to lose membership with AIF Tweet OTTUMWA, Oct 02, 2009 (Ottumwa Courier - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The executive director of the Association of Iowa Fairs said better communication could have prevented the Wapello County 4-H Expo from losing its membership with the AIF. Following the city of Ottumwa's rejection of a lease agreement with the 4-H Expo earlier this week, the AIF essentially canceled the Expo's membership with the association. AIF Executive Director Tom Barnes told the Courier Thursday the Expo's membership with the organization was dropped and they lost the opportunity for possible state funding through the AIF. The expo could also lose its chance to send a queen candidate to the Iowa State Fair, Barnes said, however that decision is made by Iowa State Fair officials, not the AIF. Barnes said the 4-H Expo could still hold membership as an associate fair with the organization. Barnes, meanwhile, insists that better communication could have prevented the lost membership. According to the Iowa Code, for an event to be eligible for state funding and considered a fair, it must own or lease at least 10 acres of ground and own buildings and make improvements on the fairgrounds which have been constructed specifically for a fair event. For the last 4-5 years, the 4-H Expo has been attempting to meet these requirements, but has not been able to find a location or come to an agreement with the city of Ottumwa. On Monday, the Ottumwa City Council voted 3-2 against a 10-year agreement with the 4-H Expo to lease land at Sycamore Park. During that time, the AIF was holding on to state grant money that was available to the Expo, about $80,000, Barnes said. "The money doesn't belong to the Expo, it does not belong to the association, this money is state money," he said. Every time the Expo would try to establish an agreement and a lease, something wouldn't work out, Barnes said. "We've been put off and put off, and we've been put off," he said. Most recently in January, Barnes said, 4-H Expo representatives said that they were nearing an agreement with the city of Ottumwa. In March, the AIF was told by Expo officials that the city was in agreement with the Expo. However, in July, Barnes said he heard that "the city was not at all in agreement with leasing to the Expo." At its August meeting, the AIF board of directors decided to set an Oct. 1 deadline for the Expo to meet the requirements, Barnes said, adding there also were state officials wondering why the AIF was holding onto the grant money. Duane Bass, 4-H Expo board member, agreed communication was lacking. "It's not a one-way street; it's a two-way street," he said, adding there were times when the Expo sent the AIF information for input and said AIF was slow to respond. Oct. 1 was also the start of the membership year for the AIF. "We're not trying to be bullies, we're just trying to be fair to everybody," Barnes said. "We were getting down to the point we've been waiting for how many years?" Some residents in the county have suggested that the 4-H Expo could partner up again with the Wapello County Regional Fair, based in Eldon. The two entities split several years ago. Since the the regional fair and the 4-H Expo are two different events, they receive separate funding from the state, which has no impact on one another, said Fred Jenkins, regional fair board member and past president, adding there had been some confusion about that. Jenkins and others from the regional fair board have said they would like to reunite with the 4-H Expo. "This offer [from the Wapello County Regional Fair] has been on the table and it will remain on the table. We're open and we want to overcome the obstacles," he said. "If they would come back with the Wapello County Fair we would support the Expo at Bridge View. We're not trying to take it away from Bridge View. "There has been communication between the two groups; it wasn't a last-minute thing," he insisted. "The offer's been on the table the last several years ... Eventually we would like to get the groups back together, and eventually I think we can." Bass said the Expo is happy at Bridge View and an agreement with the facility is set to continue over the next two years. During that time, he said, Expo board members will look at different options. Does that include the option of merging the two entities? "We haven't put that in the garbage can, but I would say the odds are remote," Bass said. Pat Shaver can be reached at (641) 683-5360 or by e-mail at [email protected]. To see more of Ottumwa Courier or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ottumwacourier.com/. 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