Weld extension director resigns

GREELEY – The director of the Weld County office of Colorado State University Extension Service has resigned over an ongoing restructuring of the 12-person office proposed by the county commissioners to save the county dollars and refocus programming.

Fred Petersen, who has served as director of CSU’s Weld County Extension office for about five years, is leaving his post on Feb. 27, citing a lack of inclusion on decisions related to the reorganization.

“One of the reasons I have resigned is I’ve been left out of most of the conversations happening in the Weld County office,” he said. “I think I should have been included in those conversations whether I would have had any impact or not.”

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Petersen, who also serves as the office’s agronomist, said CSU and Weld County officials ignored him in the ongoing process. “I’m the director of the office and I have a military background,” he said. “I think there’s a chain of command and a right way and a wrong way to accomplish a task.”

The commissioners and CSU officials have been discussing a possible reorganization for several weeks. Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer said the restructuring effort is based on a number of factors, including a desire to save money in tight economic times and to focus on services most desired by county residents.

“What we’re doing is just looking at how Extension services are delivered in our county and are they meeting the needs of our residents and are they redundant to other programs,” she said.

4-H, county fair receive support

In a letter sent Jan. 23 to CSU Interim President Tony Frank, the commissioners said that “not only is it prudent to review program effectiveness, but in this time of economic uncertainty, it is critical to provide program outcomes and investigate potential duplications with other possible service providers.”

The letter was clear in stating the commissioners’ continued support of 4-H and the Weld County Fair, saying, “Ensuring the long-term success of these programs is critical to Weld County.”

But the letter noted that some Extension services and programs may need to be dropped. “Other programs, such as Family and Consumer Affairs and Community Resource Development, while important in their own right, fail to provide the same proven outcomes as the 4-H and fair programs,” the letter states. “Evaluation of the aforesaid programs yield unclear outcomes, undocumented effectiveness, small audience participation and/or duplicated efforts of other agencies.”

In the letter, the commissioners propose to continue funding and in-kind support for three Extension agents to cover the areas of 4-H/Fair and Adult Livestock and Dairy services. The county also proposes to provide “full funding for one office manager, one full-time office support staff, one full-time paraprofessional and the needed part-time staff to support the Fair.”

An attached proposed budget calls for a $154,225 reduction in county funding from the “status quo” budget of $400,500.

Deborah Young, state Extension director, said the final reorganization picture still remains to be sorted out. “What we’re trying to figure out is how can we create a vibrant Extension program that really serves the needs of Weld County,” she said. “It’s very important to me that we have a strong Extension program there.”

Weld County is Colorado’s No. 1 agricultural production county and the No. 8 ag county in the nation.

Kirkmeyer, a 4-H participant in her youth, wrote a letter on behalf of the commissioners to county residents posted on the county’s Web site. It praises 4-H and the fair and pledges continued support for them, but notes that other services provided by the Weld County Extension Office may no longer be in the best interest of the county to continue funding.

“We believe it is not only prudent to review program efficiencies, but in this time of economic uncertainty it is crucial that programs provide desirable outcomes and that we eliminate program duplications,” the letter states.

CSU staff to pick up county programs

Petersen said part of the restructuring plan is for CSU Extension on-site staff to continue the programs that would be dropped from the Weld County office. He discounts the argument that the two Extension outlets are providing “redundant” services.

“If they work together they can enhance each other’s programs to be sure they’re not redundant,” he said.

Petersen also rejects the notion that information now provided by the Weld County office could be accessed better through the Internet.

“To me there is a huge difference between education and information,” he said. “Education is a two-way conversation.”

Young said it’s unlikely CSU could make up the $154,000 that commissioners are proposing to cut from budget. “We’re all in a tight budget situation and we’d do the best we can but I certainly can’t make any promises,” she said.

Petersen said up to half of the office’s staff could be negatively impacted by the proposed funding cuts. The next meeting between CSU and Weld County officials is expected in early March.

Meantime, both parties say they want to do what’s best for Weld County residents.

“The (Weld) commissioners in general are supportive of Extension, so I want to make sure we have the best Extension program we can have there,” Young said.