The city is considering working with the Tupelo-based CREATE Foundation as the fiscal agent for fossil park grants instead of the Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation.
During Thursday’s city council work session, city grant administrator Susan Wilder requested the council rescind its memorandum of agreement with CCHF it approved in April, which would have made the nonprofit the fiscal agent for the estimated $700,000 fossil park project along the Luxapalila Creek in Propst Park. Wilder proposed instead that the CREATE Foundation take over the role.
“We just feel like that’d be best for everybody, easier, that kind of thing,” Wilder said.
The council will consider the change at its Tuesday meeting.
Many of the grants the city will seek for the fossil park require the funds to come to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Before the council approved the agreement with CCHF on April 15, Wilder argued the foundation was a “perfect fit” as a partner – not only because it held the proper nonprofit status but it also has a sales tax license and could sell fossil park shirts and souvenirs at the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center downtown.
However, after further discussions with Nancy Carpenter, CCHF executive director, Wilder and Carpenter agreed the foundation lacked the resources to manage the project.
“The CCHF is a small entity with limited resources,” Carpenter told The Dispatch on Thursday. “With the potential for many transactions weekly, it is a much better fit for CREATE. … The more our chairman and I discussed the work, we both realized our limits.”
Wilder noted that CREATE would be better equipped to handle the project’s financial needs.
“There’s more experience there with larger sums of money and that kind of thing,” Wilder said. “… For the record keeping and all of that stuff, the amount of bills that will have to be paid out of it, it’s just going to be a lot simpler.”
Mayor Keith Gaskin expressed support for the change following the work session. He noted the Lowndes Community Foundation is an arm of CREATE.
“I think it’s a good move,” Gaskin said. “… I’m always encouraging folks to look with the community foundation when they’re doing … any type of nonprofit work in the city.”
Jan Eastman, executive director for Lowndes Community Foundation, did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
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