A Springville band parent and booster praised the patience and cool heads of other Springville band parents and boosters who are dealing with a year-long financial situation involving a Florida travel company that has resulted in a lawsuit being filed on behalf of the Springville band boosters.

Chesley Payne, praised the St. Clair Board of Education for allowing board attorney John Rea to represent the boosters and file the lawsuit.

“I have appreciation for the board for letting Mr. Rea do this. The parents are showing great restraint. The band boosters have done a great job as well. Everyone is on the same page,” Payne said.

The incident stems from the cancellation of a trip due to COVID-19 at the beginning of the outbreak in March 2020.

According to the complaint filed in the Circuit Court for the St. Clair County Southern Division, funds from the parents and boosters were provided to Musical Destinations Inc., based out of Winter Garden, Florida.

However, the funds were never repaid to parents and boosters for the canceled trip, despite the complaint claiming they can prove Musical Destinations should still have 100 percent of the funds given to them for their service.

As a band parent, what concerns and frustrates Payne is whether or not Cooper even has the funds taken from them.

“I sincerely hope he has the parents’ funds. It is frustrating because these are funds that would help with another trip. Not only was an opportunity for the kids to go perform taken away, but it also took away funds for other options for these kids.”

While no one wished to take legal action, Payne said communication broke down from “minimal” to “nonexistent,” which left them short on options for salvaging their missing funds. Payne and Rea have both made it clear that no one wanted to go down this route of legal action.

Rea says the sole incorporator of Musical Destinations, Joseph H. Cooper, is making the situation worse not only for his lack of communication, adding Cooper is delaying the process of being served by avoiding them. Cooper has 30 days to appear in court after being served.

With the lawsuit filed in court, Payne and many others are in wait and see mode for what happens next.