Chapter 18 #2
“I think that would be best. And to be upfront, this won’t be for something I plan to be in control of. I’m hoping to fund the purchase of a property that will be turned into a nonprofit. Is that allowed?”
“Oh, absolutely.” Her face softened as she understood my intentions a bit better. I couldn’t tell her I knew exactly who I wanted to benefit with this project, but she didn’t have to know the specifics. “Let me just give Mr. Willis a call.”
I thanked her as I waited and listened to her make the call.
The administrator sounded pleased and intrigued as she explained, so much so that I wondered how often the town was offered new investment money.
Probably not that often, given the depressed nature of the economic situation.
But I had no intentions of telling him my motives, at least not yet.
There would be time to explain all that later on.
He came out to meet me with a firm handshake. “I’m Administrator Willis, but you can call me Ed.” He was portly and his smile didn’t meet his eyes, but he was eager to work with me, which was going to help things along.
“I’m Chris.”
“Come on back to my office and we can talk about what you’re looking for.” I followed him as he walked briskly down the hall. “And are you looking to make a big investment, Chris?”
I didn’t want to mislead the man, so I shrugged as we took our seats. “Big enough, I guess. I don’t have an exact number, but I’d like to fund an organization that is going to serve the needs of this community long-term.”
The office looked like it had been designed in the 1970s, with no update in the furniture.
Lots of brown, cream, and orange tones made the space feel smaller than it was.
I could imagine someone who had been around here a long time would find comfort in this decor.
I didn’t, but it didn’t matter. This was a business transaction.
“We could certainly use the investment,” he said with a knowing look. “Are you talking about the mill? It shut down last year.”
“Maybe. Although this won’t be a manufacturing investment. A mill might have the space, but what I’m interested in is helping those who struggle to put food on the table.” I waited, expecting that kind of news might not go over well.
“We have a lot of those struggles, not just since the mill shut down, either.”
“That’s kind of why I’m here. My intention is to set up an organization that would provide food assistance, not in the form of charity, but in the form of affordable food for families that don’t quite meet income requirements for existing services.
” I pulled the notebook from my jacket pocket, opening it to where I had scrawled down a quick outline of what the community food hub was meant to be.
“My hope is to build partnerships with the local farmers to supply the food, and to do so at a rate that supports the farmers but remains accessible for lower-income families in the area.”
“This sounds ambitious, but it is certainly something that could help our town.” He was quiet as he took in all the words and details I had written down.
It wasn’t much, but I also didn’t know the exact specifics of what the food hub would look like yet.
I was flying blind, but I also had a feeling that I would know what I was trying to create when I was presented with the right property.
“I have to admit, I’m new to this. I’m a business man and don’t know much about setting up a nonprofit.”
“But you seem to be going about it the right way.” I couldn’t tell if he was humoring me, but he did reach over and take another piece of paper, passing it over.
“This property might be the best fit for your project. The main building has been closed for decades, but it still has the bones of the structure, and there’s a parking lot out front already.
The previous owner tried to develop the land to put in high-end condos, but the bank foreclosed, and it’s sat empty ever since. ”
I glanced over the paperwork. It looked like the previous owners had filed for permits they couldn’t have possibly been qualified to obtain.
I was starting to see a bigger picture in town than I had before.
“That’s a shame. But I guess I’m not the only businessman who has underestimated the community. ”
“We do like to take care of our own, and we don’t like people coming in to make a quick buck.”
“I don’t want to do that,” I explained. “In fact, I would prefer not to have my name associated with any of this.”
“Well, that’s going to be hard if you want to buy the land.”
I smirked a bit. “I’ve got a trust that is being set up as we speak to buy the land and fund any renovation costs, as well as future operating costs.”
“It sounds like you’re pretty committed.” The skepticism was finally gone, which gave me hope that Ed was going to make this happen.
“I’d like to see this property before I commit.”
“Of course. I think you’ll like the possibilities there.”
We went out to his vehicle, and he drove me to the property.
I could see why this land was appealing for development, especially in light of Beth’s ideas.
The property had highway frontage, meaning it would be easy to access, for trucks bringing in food and for townspeople alike.
It had enough parking, though I was certain the asphalt would need some patching.
The building, however, was problematic. It didn’t take an expert to see the water damage.
In the Pacific Northwest, water damage was normal for buildings left abandoned.
The corrugated metal structure had rust holes in the walls and roof.
It looked like a tear down, and it probably was.
But the concrete floor inside would be a good foundation for new construction.
And if it wasn’t, well, I could pay to have that replaced, too.
The key was getting the land in an area that worked for the idea in the first place.
“You like it?”
I took another look around, walking around the property with an eye to how things could fit together.
“It’s got potential. How long would the permitting process take?
” I could understand why the condos never worked out.
It was a bad location for high-end condos, and the town didn’t have the tourism to support that kind of money.
“It depends,” Ed said with a note of caution.
“There’ll probably need to be an environmental assessment.
There always is these days. But the real linchpin in these sorts of things is the county.
But I know Freddy at the planning office and I’ll introduce you.
He knows the plight we face and I’m sure once he meets you, he’ll push everything through with expediency.
But he’s been known to freeze permits just because. ”
I nodded in understanding, even though I was only half-listening.
My eyes were focused on the diner on the other side of the highway.
I couldn’t tell if Beth was there, though I saw her car parked behind the building.
Part of me wanted to go over, but I resisted the urge, knowing it was too early in all of this.
She wasn’t ready to hear from me, and I needed to build my plan out before she saw me.
Otherwise, she would just push back and call it manipulation.
I needed her to understand I was doing this for her and the town.
“Let me talk to my lawyer, and we’ll figure something out,” I said, finally looking over at Ed and the building. “I’d like to start the purchase process as soon as possible. And maybe you can get me a meeting with Freddy for tomorrow. There’s a lot to be done, and I’d like to start moving quickly.”
Ed chuckled as he shook his head. “Well, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m happy to help someone who is willing to listen and invest in the future of this town.”
He got in the driver’s seat again as I finished up my last scan of the property.
If Beth and I were ever able to have a civil conversation again, this would be a huge piece of the discussion.
I wanted to help her. And I finally believed I might actually be able to do that.
My plans for the day felt incomplete, but it was the best first step I could make.
Now to see if the rest of it worked out.