Here’s a short “ancient and modern history” on our two properties (99 Brewster Street and 16 Wyrallah Road in East Lismore) before we come to Sunday’s congregational meeting.
Firstly, the ‘ancient history’…
In 2016 we used funds from the two properties we owned in Lismore [1] to purchase these two properties (99 Brewster Street and 16 Wyrallah Road), which included land-locked land. Our interest in the properties was that it had a big enough land footprint to build an adequate space for our East Lismore church family. Council allowed us the provision to build on the land, as it was gazetted as ‘flood fringe’. The thought was to look at building options to include a floor height able to resist the one-in-one-hundred flood. The need for this land was a contingency, as our weekly rent for hall hire with the Department of Education doubled around 2014-2015. It was difficult to tell whether this unexpected increase signalled a desire to cease our long-term lease and Leadership Team (LT) felt we needed a contingency if things changed rapidly. The successful purchase of these properties allowed us scope to continue our ‘university accommodation ministry’ (offering accommodation to students moving into town for their tertiary studies), but with the additional land, gave us a potential building space if our relationship with the department changed. From 2016-2022 we were able to receive rent from both 99 Brewster Street and 16 Wyrallah Road. This rent was able to be directed to ministry and administration needs for the church family as we owned the properties outright. [2]
Now, the ‘modern history’…
February 28, 2022, changed many things in our city. Following the flood recovery, it didn’t take LT long to report to Committee of Management (CoM) that a new building contingency was required. But before we were in a position to decide “what next?” we had to wait until the property repairs were complete on the Brewster Street property before we could consider seeing the properties and land sold, and then to find a more suitable piece of land to build on. So, the phone call (received in June) indicating the prospect of a pay out for the Brewster Street property was an unexpected, but welcome, offer. This had been a long and complicated path since February 2022:
- February 2022 – Brewster Street property destroyed.
- March 2022 – Insurance claim notification forms were completed for both rental properties.
- April 2022 – Various contractors were engaged by the insurance company to consider the damage and prepare a scope of works.
- May 2022 – 99 Brewster Street stripped and further assessments made regarding water damage and asbestos. It was indicated that a minimum of 12 months would be required for the structure to dry out before further assessments could be undertaken and any reinstatement works commenced. Subsequently, the insurance company fenced and padlocked the property.
- June 2023 to April 2024 – Further works and assessments carried out by the insurance company regarding existing damage (pre-flood) and re-instatement works that would be required for the property to be restored to pre-flood condition. Communication at this stage was between the Presbyterian Church of Australia (NSW) insurance manager, the Presbyterian Church of Australia (NSW) insurance broker and the insurance company. Final stages of this communication included a
suggestion of a cash settlement offer from the insurance company instead of the insurance company carrying out reinstatement work. - June 2024 – Communication between SCPC CoM and Presbyterian Church of Australia (NSW) insurance manager regarding the findings of the above assessments and reinstatement works. SCPC given the option of a cash settlement at this stage in the claim.
So, from June 2024…
CoM expected we may require congregational approval (due to the amount involved) but as insurers were in the Northern Rivers, we understood there was time pressure to receive clarity from SCPC on the path we wished to move. Thus, CoM planned an additional meeting on July 28 and voted unanimously to receive the insurance pay out. We then knew the insurance matters could be settled, we now found ourselves in the position to sell this whole property, a movement faster than we anticipated. Therefore, not only will our meeting on Sunday include a motion to receive the insurance pay out, it will also include a second motion designed to give agency to LT and CoM to sell one property (or both properties and the land-locked land between them). If you google the property addresses, you will see the land between them is owned by SCPC.
We will only briefly touch on this material on Sunday (as a good deal of this ground was covered in our information session on August 14) and CoM will set aside 15 minutes for further questions on Sunday. Please note, before the meeting, a member of LT will pray, as the issues raised in the meeting do include comments regarding the devastating flood of 2022, and it may raise unexpected emotions for some members of our extended church family. Would you pray for Sunday? We expect the meeting on Sunday to go for around 30-40 minutes. The meeting begins at 11:15am in the Hall at Lismore High School.
It is hard to go past the Psalms, in these times, no matter the outcome on Sunday.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 46:1-3
SP
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[1] 101 Dalley Street, East Lismore and 6 Park Avenue, East Lismore.
[2] Leadership Team personally covered mortgage repayments on a small difference between the sale price of Dalley Street and Park Avenue and the purchase price of the Brewster Street and Wyrallah Road properties.
