RICHMOND – The Richmond Area Chamber of Commerce, in an emergency meeting, decided to temporarily furlough Executive Director Natalie Lamar to save money and keep the chamber functioning through the economic downturn. Chamber President Felicia Farabee said the board weighed options before deciding on the temporary reduction of staff. “The chamber is necessary now more than ever,” Farabee said. “We need to be here for our local businesses and help them rally together during this economic downturn. But we also need to stay financially responsible ourselves.” The move helps fundchamber operations through September, at which point membership dues will help replenish funds. The decision became imperative after the chamber decided to cancel the Mushroom Festival, one of the organization’s biggest fundraisers of the year. The board agreed to revisit the situation in August to discuss the next course of action. In the meantime, Carolyn Arney will handle day-today office activities. …