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www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 9, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 17 school acquired its former St. Brendan Roman Catholic Church property for $1.5 million. In Hartford, the parish that previ- ously owned St. Michael's Catholic Church, on Clark Street in the North End, sold its building to the parish owner of St. Justin's Catholic Church, on Blue Hills Avenue, also in the North End. Connery noted that the sale proceeds from the St. Michael's deal went to the coffers of St. Jus- tin's, not to the archdiocese. "People think the archdiocese owns all these properties and that the money goes into our pocket,'' he said. More archdiocese property sales are likely. In East Hartford, the town is under contract to acquire the for- mer Blessed Sacrament Church for $900,000, which it will use to replace the town's senior center. The 18,489-square-foot building at 15 Millbrook Drive opened in 1975 and is a contemporary, open structure that will allow the town to "create a space rather than try to remake a space that has small segregated classroom spaces," East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc said. "The building also offers the opportunity to expand the noon meal program for se- niors and improve the program's quality.'' In downtown Hartford, two surplus archdiocese buildings totaling about 12,225 square feet that date to the early 19th century at 121-125 Market St. are for sale at $200,000. A deed restriction covers one of the buildings because it covers a grave. Listing broker Alexis Augsberger, vice president at CBRE/New England, said the low asking price reflects needed maintenance and improvements to the buildings. Formerly a Lutheran church, Catholic Charities at one time had a refugee center in one of the buildings, and a Catholic book store in the other. "We've gotten a lot of interest from people,'' Augsberger said, since listing both at the start of this year. A potential damper to selling the remaining archdiocese prop- erties, Connery said, is that the church reserves the right not to sell to buyers who would use them for "sordid purposes,'' such as a strip club. Not an easy sell Rick Chozick, whose Hartford brokerage in recent weeks debuted the Faith Congregational Church listing, says selling houses of worship is a challenge because their special-purpose layouts, small acreages and limited parking do not render them easily convertible to other uses, like office space, apartments or retail, he said. Chozick Realty for a period several years ago was listing broker for the va- cant former Congregation Ados Israel synagogue on Pearl Street in down- town Hartford. TheaterWorks owns the building used for storage. Typically, the ideal buyers of church properties are other existing church congregations, Chozick said. "We take on a lot of challenging projects,'' he said. "We are upfront with our clients that [churches for sale] is a limited market. But we're good at marketing our properties." Faith Congregational was born when worshipers from two of the city's African-American congregations — one dating to 1819 — consolidated. In 1954, worshipers bought their current home, built on Main Street in 1871, says Faith's online history. "About 70 years ago, Faith Church was faced with the same challenge,'' Camp said. "This we believe is our time to act faithfully embracing the future, concerning our building needs." A recent study shows Connecticut's historical and cultural organizations had a more than $830 million effect on the state's economy in 2017. The economic impact study by Alliance of American Museums reports that museums across the state have created over 10,200 jobs, amounting to more than $550 million in annual income, which generated more than $220 million in local, state and federal taxes. The Connecticut Health Foundation said it awarded $260,000 in grants during the first quarter of 2018. The largest grant, $85,000, went to the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative in Hartford, which protects and advances coverage and access to dental care for children and adults covered by Medicaid. Other grants included $25,000 to Open Communities Alliance in Hartford to support planning for a pilot project that will examine the health impact of moving to healthier neighborhoods for low-income families with children with environmentally related health issues such as asthma or lead exposure. Additionally, $25,000 went to the Penn Center for Community Health Workers at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia, which is helping three Connecticut organizations develop community health worker programs. Main Street Community Foundation saw a record amount of grant distributions in 2017 including $1.7 million in grants and scholarships to Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott residents. Additionally, the Foundation received $2.3 million in contributions and established 10 new funds. The Connecticut Trolley Museum received three grants to support the restoration of its historic trolley cars, from The 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation, Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts and The Tom E. Dailey Foundation. Nonprofit Notebook NONPROFIT PROFILE The Connecticut Forum Inc. 750 Main St., Hartford | ctforum.org Mission: To encourage the free and active exchange of ideas in forums that inform, challenge, entertain, inspire, and build bridges among all people. Top Executive: Doris Sugarman, Executive Director Services: Live, unscripted conversations among renowned experts and celebrities, and community outreach programs. FY 2017 SUMMARY 2016 2017 Total Employees 13 13 Total Assets $699,275 $738,911 Total Liabilities $570,087 $680,206 REVENUES Contributions & Grants $1,088,188 $999,208 Program Service Revenue $475,605 $375,591 Investment Income $805 $624 Other $1,760 $0 Total $1,566,358 $1,375,423 EXPENSES Grants $0 $0 Member Benefits $0 $0 Salaries/Employee Benefits $636,619 $688,615 Fundraising Fees $0 $0 Other $801,029 $757,291 Total $1,437,648 $1,445,906 Margin $128,710 $(70,483) TOP PAID EXECUTIVES (FY 2017) Base salary Comp. & Benef. Doris Sugarman, Executive Director $145,863 $158,773 Source: Guidestar IRS 990 Tax Form Spiritual Listings There are at least 19 church or religious properties for sale in Connecticut, according to online broker list- ings. Here are a few in the Greater Hartford region. Church Address City/Town Asking Price Square footage Year Built 121-125 Market St Hartford $200,000 10,875 1928 164 S Whittlesey Ave. Wallingford $349,900 4,770 1911 54 Talcott Ave. Vernon $620,000 15,576 1904 151 Shewville Rd. Mystic $649,000 9,860 1976 55 Church St. Meriden $725,000* 12,262 NA 2016 Main St. Hartford $1M 24,650 1890 930 Dixwell Ave. Hamden $1.17M 14,267 1926 855 Chapel Rd. South Windsor $2.5M 8,545 2010 *For sale with two other church properties. Asking price is for all three properties. Source: LoopNet The Market Street church in downtown Hartford for sale at $200,000. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED