��������

PROJECT ACTUALLY BEEN IN THE WORKS? WELL, SHERRY AND GUY EIGHT YEARS. LET’S PUT IT THIS WAY DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD OFF THE NEW INTERSTATE BRIDGES AND PROTECTIVE STADIUM WERE BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP NOTICING THE UNFINISHED SANCTUARY. I’LL BLOCK AWAY LOYAL VIEWER. MIKE JEFFCOAT WROTE ME. IT HAS BEEN THERE FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND NO WORK HAS TAKEN PLACE FOR AT LEAST THE LAST FIVE YEARS. I’M JUST CURIOUS. DO YOU KNOW THE STORY BEHIND THIS WITH THAT? I STARTED DIGGING. HERE’S WHAT WE’VE UNCOVERED SO FAR. IT’S A NEGATIVE FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD NOW INSTEAD OF JUST A VACANT LOT LONGTIME. RESIDENT MARY. JEAN LEMAY KNOWS THE HISTORY. BEHIND THIS PROMINENT NORWOOD BLOCK. IT HAD BEEN A POSITIVE SPOT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I GUESS NOW WE’RE GOING ON TWO PLUS DECADES THAT THERE’S BEEN PRACTICALLY NOTHING HERE IN 2014 RENEWED HOOP RETURNED TRINITY CME CHURCH WAS PLANNING TO BUILD A HUGE NEW SANCTUARY ON THE SITE. I HAD A COUPLE NEIGHBORS THAT WERE SUPER EXCITED. THEY THOUGHT THAT THE LOCATION WE GIVE THEM A LOT OF EXPOSURE. A THING AND THEY WOULD POTENTIALLY BE ABLE TO GROW THE CONGREGATION WITH THIS NEW LOCATION 10 YEARS AGO. TRINITY CME CHURCH WAS LOCATED HERE ON 31ST AVENUE NORTH BUT ALDOT WANTED TO BUILD THAT BRIDGE OVER THOSE RAILROAD TRACKS WHICH WOULD HAVE HURT ACCESS FOR THE COLLEGEVILLE CONGREGATION. SO THE STATE AND THE CITY HELPED THE CHURCH. WE’VE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AWAY TO THIS PRIME LOT ALONG CARAWAY BOULEVARD ONLY A BLOCK FROM THE INTERSTATE IN MAY OF 2014. WE’VE CONFIRMED ALDOT PAID THE CHURCH $700,000 TO HELP IT MOVE THAT IN SEPTEMBER THE CITY SOLD THE QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLAR NORWOOD PLOT TO THE CHURCH FOR A BUCK. LATER THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED AN ADDITIONAL $500,000 IN RELOCATION CASH. TOTAL AMOUNT HAS BEEN. WITHOUT ALDOT WAS RESTRICTED TO GIVE THE CHURCH ENOUGH MONEY TO COVER THE COST OF MOVING AND SO THAT’S WHEN THE CITY STEPPED IN SO THE PROJECT BUT DESPITE THAT 1.2 MILLION DOLLAR TAXPAYER GIFT THE PROJECT EVENTUALLY STALLED OUT AROUND 2017 FOUR DIFFERENT CONTRACTORS SUED THE CHURCH FOR NON-PAYMENT. TWO CASES WERE MUTUALLY DISMISSED, BUT THERE WAS A 35,000 DEFAULT JUDGMENT AND A 18,000 ARBITRATION AGREEMENT AGAINST THE CHURCH IN THE OTHERS AT THIS POINT. I THINK MOST OF MY NEIGHBORS ARE WONDERING WHY THE BUILDING HASN’T BEEN. CONDEMNED WELL THE TAX MONEY FOR THE PROJECT GO AND WHAT ULTIMATELY HALTED ITS CONSTRUCTION. WE REACHED OUT TO CURRENT AND FORMER CHURCH PASTORS, THE CHURCH’S ATTORNEY AND THE NATIONAL CME CHURCH HEADQUARTERS IN MEMPHIS. NO RESPONSE. WE EVEN STOPPED BY ITS CURRENT WORSHIP LOCATION IN TARRANT. THERE WAS NO ONE THERE. I HOPE THERE’S A WAY THAT THIS COULD BE A THRIVING PART OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT OUR COMMUNITY WOULD WANT TO BE INVOLVED WITH A CHURCH WOULD CERTAINLY BE AN ASSET. BUT AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS THAT ASSET IS WASTING AWAY WITH NO SIGNS OF COMPLETION IN SIGHT. NOW THE CITY DID SET A JUNE 2016 CONSTRUCTION DEADLINE IN ITS FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH THE CHURCH, WHICH OBVIOUSLY WAS NOT MET. WE’VE REQUESTED A COPY OF THAT AGREEMENT TO FIND OUT WHAT LEGAL REMEDIES ARE AVAILABLE TO THE CITY. WE ARE STILL WAITING ON WHEN WE GET MORE. FOR VIEWERS LIK