915 N. Main Opportunity: More Information

Church Council has approved the following motion to be put forth to members of the congregation for a vote on Sunday, April 21, at Noon in Fellowship Hall:

“The congregation of First Congregational Church of Hudson, Ohio, votes to affirm the transfer of title of the building and property at 915 N. Main Street in Akron, from Trinity United Church of Christ to a newly formed 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.“

PLEASE NOTE:

• The new 501(c)(3) organization shall have a governing board comprised of at least 44% FCCH members.
• The purpose of the new 501(c)(3) organization is to carry out the mission of transforming 915 N. Main into a community hub in the heart of North Hill, designed to meet the wants and needs of the residents of the community.

All formal members of the church will be invited to vote on this motion.

Members are invited to attend an information session prior to the vote (dates and times listed in next section).

Want to learn more about 915 N. Main and ask questions of those involved in the Due Diligence process? Attend one of these info sessions. No advance registration necessary.

• Sunday, April 14, 12 p.m. Noon, Fellowship Hall
• Monday, April 15, 12 p.m. Noon, Zoom (Link will be emailed to all members)
• Tuesday, April 16, 6 p.m., Fellowship Hall

915 N. Main Newsletter

January 28, 2024 PowerPoint Presentation

VIDEO: Introduction to 915 N. Main Opportunity (Rev. Peter Wiley)

VIDEO: Quick History of First Serve (Rev. Peter Wiley)

VIDEO: Vision for 915 N. Main (Rev. Joy Fenton-Jones)

VIDEO: Financial Information & Community Interest (Jeff Coy, Treasurer; Doug Krapf)

The overall vision is that 915 North Main becomes a community hub in the heart of North Hill: a place where people gather to experience community, camaraderie, and joy in a constantly evolving neighborhood. We envision a safe and thriving space for education, entertainment, recreation, and fun. Most important, the vision for this work will unfold around the wants and needs of folks who live right there in the neighborhood!

We believe that a healthy future for the Church (and for many local churches) will involve a lot of community partnership and cooperation. We can look at almost any neighborhood and see countless church buildings that are underutilized. It will take strong community partners, like FCCH, to bring life and vitality to many of these spaces. We feel a sense of calling to this one!

In conversation with numerous community groups/partners, we’ve heard many great ideas:

• A hub for the arts: concerts, recitals, dance, theatre, music lessons.
• Health and wellness: soccer, yoga, basketball, meditation, mindfulness.
• Offices and/or meeting space for local non-profit organizations: Students with a Goal (SWAG), for example.
• Existing faith communities who may wish to rent space for worship services.
• Childcare or additional opportunities for education (financial literacy, for example).
• The kitchen could be used as a start-up space for aspiring caterers or restauranteurs.
• Light retail, small business, coffee shop, smoothie bar, etc.
• We’ve even talked about a small movie theater in the building!

North Hill was primarily Italian American for a long time; later, it evolved to being primarily African American. The neighborhood has continued to change and is now home to a large Hispanic population as well as many in the immigrant/refugee community from around the world. North Hill is designated as Akron’s International District.

Yes. We already are involved with them through the Trinity clothing room. We will continue to explore this partnership in greater depth.

First Serve has cultivated the relationships and the trust that make this project possible. While the 915 North Main Project represents something new and different, it will always be closely connected with First Serve. We are also excited for First Serve to have an office in the 915 North Main building, right in the heart of North Hill.

Yes! It absolutely has. We can point to other models and other places where this has been done.

One of the reasons this is such an exciting and hopeful opportunity is that 1 in 10 congregations in our denomination have closed their doors in the last 10 years. When churches close, one of two things typically happens: they give the building to the denomination, which frequently (and usually unsuccessfully) attempts to restart a church in that space; OR they sell the building to a for-profit organization that goes on to redevelop the building for its own gain.

In a time when many congregations are closing, we have an opportunity to model something new. It gives the existing congregation at Trinity UCC an opportunity to live out their legacy in a new and innovative way that benefits and elevates the neighborhood. And it gives us an opportunity to live out our statement of welcome: to meet people where they are!

We are being given this property as a gift. We have been advised by a consulting attorney to avoid the language of “sale” altogether.

A legally distinct 501(c)(3) legal entity would be formed as the property transfers to FCCH. The existence of a discrete legal entity shields FCCH from legal or financial liability in the (unlikely) event that the project turns out to be unsustainable for any reason.

A 501(c)(3) is a nonprofit organization that is tax exempt because it exists solely for one of several reasons: charitable purposes, religious services, educational uses, or a handful of others. This is a status received, by application, from the federal government.

Technically, the property will not transfer to FCCH. It will transfer to the control and management of an independent 501(c)(3) organization that we will establish. (See questions above for additional information.) This allows us to access public and private grant dollars that are not available to exclusively faith-based organizations.

Approximate operating expenses in 2023:

• Utilities and insurance: $30,000
• Custodial support: $25,000

We are budgeting $100,000/year to own and operate the building in 2025 and 2026. We anticipate an increase in insurance and utilities as building use increases, and we are budgeting for a building manager to oversee tenants and ensure a positive tenant experience.

Note that church staff positions (pastor, office manager, music staff, etc.) will remain the purview and responsibility of Trinity UCC or any congregation that worships in the space.

Yes. We intend for 915 N Main to become a self-sustaining enterprise by 2027. We will lease portions of the building to local non-profit organizations and, potentially, small businesses. We will also pursue grant funding and corporate support. Several groups already use the space and pay rent, including recovery groups and two other multi-ethnic congregations.

To date, we have raised over $100,000 to cover operating expenses in the first year. We will continue to fundraise and secure tenants to offset costs in year two and in future budget years.

If you would like to pledge or give to support this project, you can do so now. For more information about donation, talk to Peter Wiley, Jeff Coy, Allen Wass, or Doug Krapf.

We hired an outside company to do a thorough building inspection. Copies of that report are available for review, upon request. Overall, the building is in excellent condition. The roof is relatively new and in great shape. The boiler is in good shape. Capital improvements are needed to make the bathrooms handicap-accessible and to replace the existing elevator; those improvements will be considered only when we have established an adequate capital reserve.

Trinity will continue paying their own staff (minister; office staff; etc.)

The newly created 501(c)(3) will assume the annual operating and maintenance expenses.

We continue to be in active conversation with several community organizations about leasing space in the building. Those agreements can be finalized once the building is gifted.

915 N. Main Street will have its own staff to do the oversight/care/groundwork at the building. We do not envision any of the existing staff at FCCH being relocated or redeployed there.

Trinity UCC has a modest endowment, but they will retain those funds.

As we move toward partnership agreements with building tenants, it will provide us with a secure basis for making capital improvements (including accessibility) to the space. For example, if a renting organization is willing to sign a 5-year lease, that is a compelling reason to invest in improvements to relevant spaces. We also plan to pursue grant funding for eventual improvements to restrooms and/or the elevator.

The building is typically locked, and visitors are buzzed in. We are not aware of significant security issues in or around the building.

In short, yes. An exit strategy will be written into our agreement to receive the property. If the project is not sustainable in the projected time frame, the exit clause will be exercised. FCCH will not begin diverting resources toward 915 N Main to keep it afloat.