Douglas County Extension Office Reopening on Fridays

Contact: Angie Fletcher, human development specialist
Headquartered in Douglas County
Tel: 417-683-4409
E-mail: fletchera@missouri.edu

AVA, Mo. – Thanks to matching funds from the City of Ava, a grant from the Douglas County Community Foundation, donations from the people of Douglas County and meticulous budgeting and planning by the Douglas County Extension Council, the Douglas County Extension office will resume regular business hours on Fridays beginning Oct. 4 and continue through the remainder of the 2013 calendar year.

For the last three years, due to local budget deficits, the MU Extension office in Douglas County has operated at a reduced capacity by closing on Fridays to save money.

“Funding for the University of Missouri Extension is unique,” said Angie Fletcher, Douglas County Program Director, “University of Missouri supports the salary and benefits for faculty and staff in the office with the exception of the office manager.  Financial support for the office manager’s salary and benefits, supplies and program dollars depend on local (county) funding.”

Fletcher says the Douglas County Extension Council has cut the office manager’s hours for the last three years (resulting in decreased office hours and services to the public), not purchased needed supplies and restricted other specialist’s travel to the county.  Local faculty and staff have personally donated travel in order to save money and continue service to our constituents.

The new office hours will be Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

“This is a return to full time service we have been working toward,” said Fletcher. “All this has been made possible with the support we have received from the community. Without that support, we would possibly be looking at further reductions.”

While the return to full time service is planned for the rest of 2013, continuation will be dependent on allocations received from the County Commission for 2014.

“We are keeping a close eye on our budget,” said Fletcher. “We are hoping for a return to receiving full funding from the Commission to continue our services at this level to the community.”

For further information on the services provided by the Douglas County Extension office, visit their website at www.extension.missouri.edu/douglas or stop by their office located in the Douglas County Courthouse.