POTSDAM — The SLC Arts executive director is asking the county legislature to pass a bill allocating state funding for county Youth Bureau programs that includes critical funding for a six-week creative program for youth.
Maggie M. McKenna addressed the board during their May full board meeting and said the camp can’t happen without the $6,000 allocation included in the Youth Bureau bill. It had been tabled during the April Services Committee meeting.
During the meeting’s portion to discuss old business, Legislator Margaret G. Haggard, D-Potsdam, tried to take the bill off of the table during the May 1 full board meeting.
“We’re in the third week of letting the youth development grant program money languish without appropriating it,” she said. “People need to know if they’re being funded for these programs.”
“For whatever reasons, and it hasn’t been discussed, I’d like to move the resolution be taken off the table.”
County Attorney Stephen D. Button said the legislature’s procedure rules mean the vote to remove the bill from the table has happen at the committee level, since it was tabled there. The next Services Committee meeting is Monday.
Ms. Haggard again tried to discuss possibly voting to remove the bill from the table.
“Now we’re into a few more weeks before these people know,” she began, and was cut off mid-sentence by Legislature Chair David W. Forsythe, R-Lisbon, who said, “thank you Margaret, new business.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, prior to Ms. Haggard’s comments, Ms. McKenna told legislators about their summer arts program, which is scheduled to start June 10 and run for six weeks.
“We develop programs to fill gaps in community services,” she said, adding that SLC Arts started the program “in direct response to a Youth Bureau survey.”
“We plan to run a six-week program with morning and afternoon sessions,” Ms. McKenna said. “It will not be possible without the Youth Bureau program $6,000 grant.”
She said the camp will include sessions in video and digital media, graphic design, ceramics, starting a band, poetry, acting and others.
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