MMF and the "opera" house

Rhodes wrote: No tunnels connect any of the structures on S. Main for human travel. There may be old sewer lines, but that's it. As far as tunnels on the Sorg Mansion property connecting the 3 structures there, I don't know about that. As for skipping to my lou down Main St... it never happened.

I checked with the City Engineer about the tunnels and the reason the house was taken off the market the end of March 2013, the flooding and burst pipe, and he also had heard of the rumored tunnels but had no drawings or any proof of such.  He doubted they still exist, if they ever did, due to all the utility construction over the past 125+ years.  Regardless he did not think they would add to any flooding issues.         In regards to the flooding he also had not heard of any recent flooding issues.  There are combined storm/sewer lines in that area but he said it would take a monumental rain to cause any backup issues. These storm/sewer lines are NOT made for travel.  Also, the downtown is protected from the river by levees built after the great flooding of 1913.  He assured me that any downtown flooding would be something of a very rare event indeed.
     If you are an elite member of society, as Paul Sorg was, I highly doubt you would travel underground. Even if entertaining, Paul would be proud to show off his city. He would travel above ground. Paul also died before completion of the renovations of the Mansion in 1902, and Jennie barely used the house and chose to use her son Paul J Sorgs house when she was in town.  If said tunnels exist how would you get the horse and carriage above and below ground once you get home, to the bank, to the opera house? It is highly unlikely that such folklore is evident.
     I have been in the house after it went up for sale, I spent time in the basement and no where did the stacked stone foundation show any such proof of a tunnel that was covered over.  The 2 boilers in the carriage house are the size of a train engine. The second boiler was NEVER fired it was there for redundancy. The boilers sit below ground level and have an 8-10 inch main that lead into the main house for heat. I was told that the snow never accumulated over the area that the pipe ran. The steam from the pipe kept the ground from freezing. The house has a complex amount of chimneys, cold air returns, and heat ducts. They work in combination with the steam heat, radiators, and multiple fireplaces. There was a separate smaller boiler in the house that was installed for the conservatory that Mrs Sorg had, and was removed at a later date after the sale of the house. I have also read that there was a power station in the carriage house that powered the Sorg Estate, the US Hotel, and the Sorg Opera House. That is another part of Middletown folklore. 

Tony
    I haven’t been in this building for several years so I would say the 2.5 million would just bring it up to code and bring it to working condition so you could rent the space. I believe if you did a complete restoration you would need another million and also hundreds of hours of volunteer labor. As you know when you start getting in custom work you pay the big bucks.
    It is now owned by the company that is listed on the Butler County web site. So what they are going to do with is unknown at this time.
    Tony I had a conversation just the other day about this subject and suggested that all the Arts Groups should go together in one building so they could pool their resources (like the Sorg Opera House) and I was told point blank that it would never work…that each group deserved and wanted their own space. So if that is the mind set I don’t know how one Art Group could restore and support a building as large as the Sorg Opera House.

Here is the latest info on the Sorg Opera House that has been confirmed by City Hall
MMF received an estimate of 2.5 million to restore the Sorg Opera House so MMF removed their bid. To be honest I'm surprised it wasn't more.
I believe it will cost about a million dollars to demo this property.

 

Tony

Downtown Middletown Inc., is now in charge of changing the image and selling downtown. I guess we will just need to wait and watch the majic happen.

Gentlemen
In January we were told that we would know the fate of the Sorg Opera House in February. Well February has come and gone and we still have no answers about what will happen to the Sorg Opera House.
On January 26, 2012 the City wrote a $75,000 to Middletown Moving Forward and the check cleared the bank February 3, 2012

At the risk of being repetitive, I offer the following. There is a MAJOR distinction between a CIC and a simple NFP. A CIC is a legal entity which is a NFP, but which focuses solely uoin economic development and betterment for a county or municipality, or city, village, etc. The sole missions and charter of a NFP is based upon two prongs: 1) social advancement (arts, quality of life, education, et al 2) charitable giving.

 

We also have MORE than enough vacant buildings in town

I remain a bit confused on this whole issue of a CIC vs a NFP. A CIC is a NFP entity, it simply states as a mandate and focus, it partners a municipal government with the private sector for funding and other activities that churn economic growth. Since that is the mission of MMF CIC, or MMF, Inc, or is it now downtown Middletown, Inc., it would seem logical they would need to be a CIC when they pass money to invest or loan.

I recall the Atrium arguing as a non profit, they did not have to pay property taxes to Franklin, which impacted schools. What LL apparently was stating was a non profit entity still has to pay property taxes, so the city is on the hook for property taxes for the Manchester, and the other buildings. But, that runs in contradiction to what the Atrium was stating about its own property taxes. I believe and will do due diligence, a non profit pays payroll taxes, but not property taxes. That was the position of the Atrium. Mike, I call your attention to the following regarding NFP status and ramifications for property taxes:State

• The Secretary of State’s Legal Guide for Nonprofit Organizations provides information on how to obtain corporate income, sales, and property tax exemptions for your nonprofit corporation.
• To Obtain Ohio Franchise Tax and Sales Tax Exemptions: Nonprofit organizations (except agricultural and consumer cooperatives) are exempt from the corporation franchise tax.  501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are exempt from sales taxes. Sales and use tax blanket exemption certificates (form STEC-B) are to be provided to vendors.

c)    Local

• Your nonprofit organization may be exempt from paying property taxes on property it owns or leases. Such exemptions vary widely by location; check with the tax assessor of your local government (town or city hall, or the seat of county government) to find out how to apply for applicable exemptions.

viii)    Register with the Ohio Attorney General
a)    Within 6 months of creating a nonprofit organization, all organizations must register with the Ohio Attorney General by submitting Form CFR-1 and copies of the 501(c)(3) Determination Letter from the IRS, Articles of Incorporation, and Bylaws to:

b)    In order to solicit contributions in Ohio, nonprofit organizations must first register with the Ohio Attorney General by submitting a Charitable Organization Registration Statement along with copies of the 501(c)(3) Determination Letter from the IRS, Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and a copy of IRS Form 990 to:
Filing Fee: $0-$200 depending on contributions received
Note:    If contributions < $5,000: Filing Fee = $0
If contributions >= $5,000 but < $25,000: Filing Fee = $50
If contributions >= $25,000 but < $50,000: Filing Fee = $100
If contributions >= $50,000: Filing Fee = $200
Filing must be notarized.

The registration of an article of incorporation may materialize before a CIC, but if operating as a CIC, the statutes covering the CIC must be adhered, that is, keeping records, filing annual reports (even when no funds are accumulated, et al).

acclaro wrote: Mike, you mentioned LL stated they had to set up what was oce MMF CIC as Middletown, Inc. as a non profit. ...

Acclaro,

In fact, MMF did file their “Initial Articles of Incorporation” as a NON-PROFIT under ORC 1702 with the State of Ohio on May 31, 2005, and was certified as such by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell on June 7.  Les Landen accepted the appointment as the original statutory agent at that time.  Landen was succeeded by Mike Robinette in a document filed March 17, 2010.

I cannot answer the rest of your questions, nor can I find the answers anywhere else.  Perhaps we could file a request under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) if only we knew who the statutory agent is.  By doing so and getting a copy of the articles of incorporation and by-laws, perhaps we could better understand their purpose or what sort of “opportunities” they plan to “exercise”.

Agreed, Spiderjohn!!!

Middletown29 wrote: Crazy A CIC incorporates as a non-profit.

You better explain that to Law Director Landen.  That is definitely NOT the way he explained it to City Council at the December meeting.   

crazycatcher,

If you'd read any of the 75 posts up to this one, you'll see that I am not a lawyer. I can, however; read. I suggest you read the law concerning non-profits that acclaro posted. You might also try reading statute 1724 regarding CIC's. Once you've done that (it is no fun trying to digest all that legal terminology which is why I'm not a lawyer), go back and examine the facts involved here. There is a serious attempt here to obfuscate what Middletown Moving Forward is and whether they are, in fact; a legal entity and a city board. They are attempting to take control of a 120 year old building with absolutely no idea of what they are going to do with it!!! Furthermore, they have just received $75k of taxpayer money to do this!!!

Law is open to interpretation but that interpretation has little to do with "feelings". How things should be and what they really are bear little resemblance with each other. The people involved in MMF are business people, city administration and elected officials. According to the website for MMF, which is listed as a City of Middletown document; they are supposed to be responsible for directing the city's economic development priorities. If they can't follow the laws and reporting requirements, they should not be given city funds. Since they have never registered with the state Auditor's office as a CIC, our city has given an illegal entity taxpayer funds. That you would come on here and try to explain it all away with bs seems (to me) like a smokescreen to hide what has been done. As for knowing something, it's pretty obvious to me you know a lot more than what you're telling us with your posts.