The University Park Alliance will continue holding off on finding a replacement for its executive director, who resigned in early April, while it focuses on getting its funding restored from its major provider.
If the funding is not restored before interim consultant David Lieberth, former Akron deputy mayor, leaves on July 31, the UPA partners could be asked to offer up staffers to get the work done, said David James, superintendent of Akron Public Schools and chair of the UPA board of directors.
Eric Anthony Johnson resigned in early April, and last month, UPA officials confirmed their funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation was “on hold” because terms in a grant related to UPA’s real estate projects were not met. UPA is a nonprofit economic development group working on issues involving 50 city blocks surrounding the University of Akron.
James said Monday: “One of the issues is going to be of course getting some of our Knight grant back and getting some of these projects done. Without some of those, it’s going to be a challenge coming up with funding for an executive director. It’s prudent we get the projects moving forward and focusing on the Knight grant and getting that finalized.”
The UPA held its first meeting last week since the loss of funding began.
In the meantime, the UPA is mostly relying on funding from voluntary payments of $10,000 requested from each of the board partners to help pay for Lieberth’s services and operations that have had cuts in staff and programs.
James declined to say how many partners had paid the voluntary assessment or how much. But he said the amounts are enough until funding can be restored. In May, some of the partners, including the University of Akron, the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority and the city of Akron, paid or said they intend on paying what was called the first-time membership fee, while others said they were still considering the request.
“As long as that bridge isn’t a year or nine months, I think we’ll be fine. We do own some properties that we might be able to get rid of to help move some of the developments along that could give the organization some cash,” said James. That would potentially be 12 homes along Excelsior Avenue in Akron that UPA bought for $180,000 in 2012 as its first effort to rehabilitate houses and stabilize neighborhoods, he said.
Lieberth’s role is studying contracts the group has in addition to gathering information for a new proposal to the Knight Foundation to renegotiate its grant.
The Knight Foundation awarded UPA $18 million over a six-year span, and last December made a new grant of $6 million spread over five years. Also, a $1.8 million low-interest loan was made for a project called University Square. UPA officials have said they received two grant payments before funding was put on hold.
Regarding the project called University Square, UPA is working on leasing some property that is controlled by the group and some controlled by the university.
The group is also trying to finalize a second phase of the Market Square Project at East Market and Forge streets. A complex of retail, office and restaurant mixed-use buildings has been planned for the site, previously occupied by the Fred Martin Chevrolet auto dealership.
UPA’s next board meeting is June 19.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com.