HAHIRA — As of Tuesday, the Hahira Chamber of Commerce is no more.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors voted to disband the 14-year-old organization, effective April 30, due to a lack of funding.

According to Chamber Vice President Scott Purvis, in a letter to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, “The decision to dissolve the Chamber is a simple matter of economics.”

The Hahira Chamber had been receiving funding from the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber, in the form of splitting the dues from member businesses in the Hahira zip code, and from the city of Hahira, the Tourism Authority and Lowndes County.

The county had been weaning the Hahira Chamber off its funding, with $10,000 contributed in 2000, only $5,000 contributed in 2001 and no money allocated for 2002.

Lowndes County Commissioner Richard Lee said all three of the area Chambers of Commerce had previously been funded by money generated from the hotel/motel tax. Once the Conference Center was built in 1999, “it was understood that the funds would be directed to the operation of the center.”

Lee said it was inappropriate for the Hahira and Lake Park Chambers to continue to receive money from the county’s general fund, as they had been for the past three years. “It was a tough call to make. I’m proud of Hahira’s decision to continue promoting the community through the Better Hometowns Program and be more project driven.”

Lee indicated that the county’s funding for both the Lake Park and Valdosta-Lowndes County Chambers has also been reduced and “we have a tough budget year ahead of us again.”

In his letter to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber, Purvis said, “The Hahira Chamber Board has voted to dissolve the Chamber and shift all of the Chamber’s duties and responsibilities to the city of Hahira’s Better Hometown Program.”

Bonnie Tindall, who resigned as the Hahira Chamber’s executive director in December, has continued in the part time role of manager of the Better Hometowns Program for the city.

Tindall said the decision to disband was a difficult one for the Board to make and was discussed at great length for some time. In the end, the Board had to do what was best for the city.

She said, “People will see the same programs through Better Hometowns. Instead of concentrating on economics, we can now concentrate on our programs and on the city of Hahira.”

The 51 businesses in the Hahira zip code will retain their membership in the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, and will continue to receive the same service and benefits.

“We are proud of the members in the Hahira zip code, and we will continue to provide them with the same service and attention as all our other members. We are also anxious to work with the Better Hometowns Program, which is an important community development initiative,” said Myrna Ballard, president of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce.

“Hahira won’t skip a beat,” she said.



To contact Business Editor Kay Harris, please call 244-3400, ext. 280.