LVCA/Let the facts speak for themselves/5.23.

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During the last several weeks there has been a lot of concern and speculation over the possible sale and relocation of the Lebanon Valley Council on the Arts property located on Willow Street. Anyone who has ever sat on a Board as a Director understands that the foundation of that Board is built on trust and how important that trust is. Trust is what allows a diverse group of volunteers to come together to discuss, debate, and decide the actions involved in leading the organization. Trust is what creates a "safe zone" where all voices are equal. Trust allows confidential information to be discussed without fear of disclosure. And trust is what is needed so those voices can speak without fear of retaliation. If that trust is broken, the foundation is shattered. Our foundation has been shattered. On April 19th, unauthorized, confidential information was disclosed prematurely to the members, the media, and the public. This breach of trust has put us in an unenviable position of having to apologize, explain, and attempt to salvage the remains of our organization's credibility. Both board members and members of the organization have been horrified over the way business has been conducted. The Board of Directors has stayed quiet NOT because it de-valued the members or the public's opinion. Rather, because the Board does not believe that the LVCA's business should be debated on Facebook, or any other public forum. The place for discussions is at the Board's table. It is true that we have been in negotiations about the possible sale of the building and relocation. There was never a time that the LVCA would ever have been homeless, sale or no sale. The negotiations were complex with a lot of investigation. Focus on a new home and the possibilities it would bring was never lost sight of. Another matter of investigation pertained to the status of the grants the organization had received and any possible penalties attached. The $100,000.00 grant funded by the State for the purchase of the building has been rumored to have a 10 year limitation clause attached that would not allow the property to be sold. The state was contacted by the investigating committee for verification on the status of this grant and received the following notification on April 23 from the Department of Community & Economic Development: "The Grant has expired and been closed out-and to recap our discussion we now consider that the grantee has met all obligations of the contract and that the asset purchased with grant funds is owned by the grantee and they are allowed to dispose of the asset as they see fit, especially since the grant has expired and the grantee retained the asset for a significant amount of time." Counter-Proposals:

At the April 11th Board Meeting, the Directors were brought up to date on the on-going negotiations. They were also aware that no contract had been signed on the Building. It was asked that Counter-Proposals be explored for possible alternatives to stay at the present location by additional fundraising. This request was acknowledged and the Board scheduled a meeting for April 25th, specifically for this purpose. This scheduled meeting provided the proper outlet to consider counter-proposals, address concerns, etc. by the Directors. Regarding our finances: We have seen many different figures "representing" our income and expenses. We have never released specifics regarding our finances, so question the origin and the validity of these figures. The figures being distributed publically do not reflect any professional audits, nor are their subsequent interpretations approved treasurer reports. Membership: On May 2 the Board passed a Motion to invite the Members to speak because we wanted to honor them with a weigh-in on the important issue of possibly selling the building and relocating. Ballots were mailed to our members in good standing as of the May 2nd date. The Ballot gave them the choice between 2 options: 1) explore outside option for equitable sale, 2) Do not consider any offer to sell. Responses needed to be post-marked by May 18th, with 2/3 of the member ballots back to create quorum or the original decision would be referred back to the Board. The membership did not respond with a 2/3 quorum. However, the majority of those that were returned supported the sale of the building and relocation. When the foundation of the board was shattered, the loss of trust did not just affect the Board members. It also bled out into the community. Due to the lack of trust in the Organization the following losses have occurred: 1) Cancellation of the 2nd Annual Motorcycle Show and the refunding of approximately $5000.00 in sponsorship money that was in hand. (This show represented our signature fundraiser. Last year it raised a $2500 profit, and had expectations of continued future growth). 2) the 3) Refund of $1500 that was in restricted funds to paint the exterior wood trim of the front of building and the eventual purchase of signage. The resignation of our Vice President, President Elect, Treasurer, and 3 additional Board members. Our Board of 12 is now down to 6.

Recent Donations: Recently donated monies that are being collected, and that have been conditionally solicited with the stipulation that the building will never be sold, puts the organization in an unethical dilemma. No such promise has been authorized by the board and no organization can guarantee that promise. Apology to the Church:
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We were aghast to read the hurtful comments contained in that unsanctioned release of information on April 19th. At no time did that reflect the Organizations viewpoint of the Church's Mission. We have nothing but admiration for the Church in its efforts to help and heal those amongst us. Please accept our apology. Lastly as we have no hope that trust will be restored and the board will act as one, we believe our best choices are to relinquish our involvement and leadership, allowing new board members the opportunity to unite and further the mission of the LVCA. We wish the new Board well in their endeavors to rebuild this valuable organization. Melissa R. Kulbitsky, Former President of the LVCA Dot Perez, Former Board Member of the LVCA Luis Perez, Former Board Member of the LVCA