How Could This Happen History
How
It Began
From
an earlier posting entitled “How Could This Happen”
Quaker
Apartments on Prairie Ave. in Wilmington, has for many years,
received government subsidies in order to cover rental costs for low
income senior citizens and handicapped persons.
Over
the years a client waiting list for admittance has guaranteed a full
capacity situation.
For
unexplained reasons the facility has become a financial disaster as
indicated by the amount of delinquent property taxes of $83,000 as of
6/1/15. See:
This
facility is thought to be indebted to the city for more than $200,000
First
I must correct the name of the facility, It was not the Quaker
Apartments. a somewhat generic term for the three senior apartment
facilities on Prairie Ave. The loan recipient was Friendly Center.
If my memory is correct Friendly Center is a full pay full service
facility and charges very high rent. Cape May has put considerable
pressure on full pay full care senior facilities.
On
January 27, 1982 Wilmington City Council passed a ordinance
authorizing Mayor Robert Moyer to enter into an agreement with,
“Friends Congregate Housing” the original and still owner of
Friendly Center, for a a construction loan from the city controlled,
revolving loan fund, then called, the “urban
development action grant” (UDAG). The amount of the loan was
$469,600
For
local history buffs the ordinance was signed by Mayor Robert Moyer,
Council President David Hockday and Council Clerk Linda Eichelberger.
The
loan agreement included:
a.
The loan will run for twenty-eight years 28 years starting January
31,1983
b.
The interest rate will be three percent
c.
Annual payments will be $25,000 ending in 2011 [Current balance in
2014, $200,000]
d.
The loan is made as a real estate mortgage subordinated only to the
first mortgage [$1,148,700] holder Leader Mortgage Company.
The
agreement was signed by Mayor Robert Moyer and Friends Congregate
Housing President, Howard Hiatt and Secretary, Virginia Smith.
It
appears that payments to the city of some $269,000 plus interest was
made to the city's loan fund.
It
also appears that sometime during the 28 years an inflexible
business model, or poor management by SKW*, manager of this and the
two other collocated Quaker affiliated senior housing, started to
fail financially. The indications of the failure are reflected in
property tax delinquencies.
The
county auditor's web site indicates a property tax delinquency of
$116,649 and 0 payment of first half 2015 tax including a $1,226
penalty. Tax payment records as far back as 2007 show payments of
only half of annual billing.
According
to the enterprise's 2014 Form 990 the company had revenue of $222,782
and expenses of $306,505; Assets $622,765 Liabilities $1,892,584.
It
looks like the Board of Directors including Mike Miller,
HarrietTerrell, Solomon Cooper,and Duane Early have their hands full
and the city may be out of luck. You can't get blood out of a turnip.
Paul
Hunter budhunter@frontier.com
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