Connellsville councilman to pursue lease termination
CONNELLSVILLE — A Connellsville councilman said that he is pursuing action that will, if approved, end a lease the city now holds with the Greater Connellsville Area Community Center board.
Councilman Greg Ritch, director of city buildings and parks, said he has conferred with Mayor Charles Matthews and city solicitor Tim Witt and will move forward with a proposal to end a long-standing relationship with the 10-member board that has overseen the operation of the center for nearly four decades.
“I can not in good conscience offer a lease agreement to the current board,” said Ritch. “I have gone out of my way to work with the board, and from day one all I have heard is negativity.
“I have asked them to not look at the past, but to the future and the majority is not willing to do that,” he continued.
The city and board are currently operating under a month-to-month agreement.
In January 1983, the center board received nonprofit status and entered into a 20-year lease with the city to manage and maintain the city-owned building on Fairview Avenue. An agreement reached in 2003 expired in January 2008. Since then, a monthly lease has been in effect.
Ritch said that the city can not dissolve the board of directors, but does have the authority to end its lease with the board.
Current board directors include the Rev. Les Strader, board president, Patty Handford, Tom Hodnik, John King, Charles Mills, Roy Taylor, Sue Wagner, Hagan Guthrie, Mike Connell and Gayle Stafford.
The move to end the nearly 40-year relationship came last week when certain board members recommended that a tenant be removed from the center.
Ritch attended the regular monthly meeting that was to include the presentation by the board to council of a marketing plan for the struggling center.
However, the initial discussion involved new tenant, By Faith Ministries, a fledgling church that has conducted weekly services in the community center since November. The board had agreed to a discounted rate for the congregation, but when the church representatives failed to sign a six-month lease agreement and did not pay the full $1,000 rental fee for February, certain members recommended the group no longer have access to the building.
“I was not going to listen to that negativity,” said Ritch of his early exit from the meeting. “(The center) is the property of the Connellsville residents. The church congregation is made up of Connellsville residents. They are not going to be turned away.”
The congregation also has made improvements to the two rooms being used for church services, including the purchase of carpeting.
Ritch said that because of the low occupancy rate of the center, the board should not be turning tenants away but diligently working with them.
According to board members, 13 of the 39 rooms in the three-story building are occupied. In addition to the church organization, other tenants include the Hobo Railroad Club, Little Buddies Day Care Center, Salvation Army and Twin Trees.
Ritch said that negative attitudes and unwillingness to work together has deterred progress in the city.
“Let’s start looking for solutions,” he said. “I don’t want people on the (city) boards just to occupy a seat; I want them to be innovative and productive.”
The center board indicated that members plan to attend the March 21 meeting of City Council to further discuss the matter.
Ritch said that he is formulating a plan should council agree to end the lease agreement.
“We will have a plan of action should the lease be dissolved,” he said.