Hollow

by Renee Bolden, McDowell native and Hollow participant

Many McDowell County residents were in attendance to last week’s County Commission meeting, which was held in the courthouse annex courtroom, concerning a proposed 9% tax increase. This courtroom is the site of official court trials. It is now, however, the site of an unofficial one as well that consists of priorities and will. Commissioners Ray Bailey, Harold McBride, and Gordon Lambert appeared to be a three-judge panel seated at the front of the room and McDowell County residents crowded into the jury seats, the plaintiff and defendant tables, the observers seats, and yet, many were left standing.  

Tensions were eased somewhat when county commission president, Gordon Lambert, stated, ”I appreciate all of you being here. I hate that the wrong information went out in the paper and on TV that there was going to be an increase, proposed increase of 9%.  What was looked at was .09%, not even 1%. …Since we see the turnout here today there won’t be any rate increase.”  Immediately, there were cheers and clapping.

Following this statement, residents took the opportunity to question the commissioners on many different topics. The main issue of the day, however, was that of Sheriff Martin West’s budget. Sheriff West announced that his department was in much need of basic equipment: uniforms, guns, ammunition, protective gear, and vehicles. West brought to the commissioners’ attention a spending reduction and cost-savings plan that had been drawn up by County Manager Clif Moore. West stated, concerning the plan, ”He has about 12 things that he said would save the county money and that we wouldn’t be to this position today, that we wouldn’t even be talking about raising taxes in a depressed county, such as ours.”  Lambert responded that they had not adopted Moore’s proposal.  

Sheriff West and residents mentioned the need for the county to get their priorities in order. In order to protect and serve the county, the sheriff’s department needs to be properly equipped and accordingly compensated. West and his deputies are battling the biggest enemy known to the county: drugs. If the county can keep more people off drugs, there will be more able-bodied workers within the county. This, in turn, will assist with county financials as they will be paying taxes within the county.  

Lambert recognized the work of the Sheriff by stating, “I think the Sheriff has been doing a great job.” This statement was followed with applause and proclamations of, “Yes, he is!” by the crowd. Sheriff West addressed the commissioners, stating, ”We’re asking y’all to back us, back the county, and do what’s right.”  Debbie King concluded, ”We should have people like this at every meeting, … We need to keep coming after them, not after them to be mean, but to speak up and to hang in there together.”

The constituents of McDowell County expect the commissioners to work with them to better the county and to support the Sheriff.  During this trial, it was clear that the people desire to be heard. McDowell County is constantly battling poverty, health issues, dental problems, educational needs, transportation difficulties, teenage pregnancy, and drug addiction. We have faith that the commissioners will work with the people to overcome these stumbling blocks. This is a trial of will to overcome which seems to be growing stronger. 

The jury members of this trial will deliberate for some time as we anxiously await what the future holds for McDowell County.

The past couple months have been a whirlwind of long hours and exciting payoffs for everyone on the Hollowteam. Here are a couple updates! 

• Hollow featured in Tribeca Film Institute’s TFI Sandbox: Check out the site which features a project homepage, an interview with me about Hollow, an interview with Jeff Soyk and I about the Tribeca/Zeega Hackathon, and many other resources and information about interactive documentary.
• Hollow featured in “New Digital Storytelling” series in Filmmaker Magazine: The fine folks at the MIT Open Doc Lab asked us to contribute to the series and we’re super excited about the final piece. The series will continue throughout the year!
• “Beautiful McDowell County” photo exhibit has moved from Charleston to Bramwell, West Virginia: The exhibit, which features photography by Betty Rivard and myself, will open on March 18 at the Coal Heritage Interpretive Center in the Bramwell Depot. The exhibit will be on display through May 11.Tomorrow (Tues. 3/19), an artist reception with Betty Rivard will be held from 5:30-7:30 PM at the depot. 
• 2013 WVU Short Film Fest: This past weekend I traveled to Morgantown to screen two short pieces fromHollow and take part in a panel discussion about Appalachian identity. It was great to meet Martha Stephens, a talented Appalachian filmmaker and writer/director of Pilgrim Song.
• Tribeca Film Fest: In late April, we will be attending the Tribeca Film Festival to represent Hollow. I will provide more details closer to the date!
• SXSW Interactive and Film Festival: Last week, I had the pleasure to serve as a digital media and film mentor at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas. The trip was an amazing experience and I was so surprised to meet people who already knew about Hollow. It was also great to be able to meet several of our Kickstarter backers in Austin, including Mike Andrick and Dan Mistich.