 MARCH/APRIL 2003 (XXXXI 2) |
Nearly 300 people work at Philadelphia’s Friends Center at 15th and Cherry streets on a regular basis. It houses the offices of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) and Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas, to mention only a few of the 19 organizations that rent office space there. Friends Child Care Center provides early childhood education for 60 children. During a typical day, 100 visitors come in for meetings, interviews or other business. On First-day, Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (CPMM) holds worship in the meetinghouse. Evening hours find many committee meetings and people working overtime. It all looks rather functional and well run.
Why do the buildings which make up Friends Center need renovating? The “new” office building is 29 years old. The wiring does not meet the needs of so many computers; there is no automatic sprinkler system; the heating and air conditioning systems are worn out; there are no accessible toilets; the skylight above the main stairwell in the meetinghouse just gave out and will be temporarily held up until renovations can be made in warmer weather. Energy efficient lighting and temperature control systems are planned and will support our environment and provide on-going savings.
Friends Center Corporation has a Board made up of representatives from the three “equity partners” which own Friends Center – AFSC, PYM, and CPMM – plus several representatives from some of the organizations that rent space. Peter Rittenhouse, Executive Director of Friends Center for the past five years, has kept the Board informed of repairs needed to keep the infrastructure running. It seemed that a Needs Assessment was in order to see how extensive renovations might be, and at the same time look at more efficient use of the space, both for the people working there, and as possible income producing space. This was done in November 2000. A long-range plan was developed and ways to meet the cost explored. The equity partners were kept informed through 2001 and 2002, and an article appeared in PYM News in March 2002. Yearly Meeting’s General Services Standing Committee heard from PYM’s representatives on the Friends Center Board, and reported to Interim Meeting. In October 2001 Interim Meeting minuted its preference to keep Yearly Meeting offices at Friends Center. Interim Meeting in January 2003 approved having the Friends Center Corporation seek a $6 million tax-free bond to enable work to start a year from now. This would be for no more than 24 years, with the principal and interest paid from increasing the rent, up to 50% more, paid by the equity partners. Over the years these rents have been below market rates. When Friends Center opened, the Board purposefully did not set aside any funding for major repairs. Now we feel it is necessary to have a reserve fund set up by Friends Center to pay for future maintenance.
We in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends are having to take stock of how important a place Friends Center is as a center city location where both worship and office work take place. We need to give similar consideration to the Fourth and Arch Street Meeting House in the historic district, a place for worship, conferences and meetings for ourselves and others, and for sharing the Quaker story with tourists. The other two properties Yearly Meeting owns are the Burlington Meeting House Conference Center (NJ) and the Friends Workcamp Center house in the Mantua section of West Philadelphia. There are inadequate funds budgeted to care for each of these buildings … the places where we meet to put our faith into action.
This is a time of discernment about how Yearly Meeting will be responsible for its ownership of these places. At Yearly Meeting sessions on Friday afternoon, March 28, there will be a half hour to learn more about these properties and how Friends relate to them.
In the case of Friends Center it is necessary that we get clear so that we can sensibly work with the other two equity partners; each one has a different constituency and ways of working and raising money. It has yet to be determined how the equity partners will share expenses not covered by rent increases. When representatives of the three partners meet together there is open sharing and trust that things can be worked out so that the needed renovations can be made. The list has been narrowed to essentials for meeting code regulations, efficiency, safety, modernization and systems. The cost is estimated at $6.6 million.
So, Friends, please hold all of this in the Light and share your thoughts with PYM’s representatives on the Friends Center Board: Vinton Deming (215-727-4376 or vintdem00@aol.com), Joe Elliott (j_elliott@earthlink.net), and Viv Hawkins (215-241-7202 or vivh@pym.org).
Anne Moore
Valley Meeting (PA)
Clerk of General Services Standing Committee
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM