Plumb Place is a step closer to being sold.
On Wednesday, Lyon County Judge Lee Fowler approved the sale of the building, property and personal property associated with the entity.
Fowler’s decision followed a series of recommendations from the Plumb Place Steering Committee as organized by the United Way of the Flint Hills, which can be found below. In addition, Fowler said the new owners will not be restricted by the original deed mandates, which specified the house must be used to house women. United Way Director Mickey Edwards says that step will help the process.
As work begins on the sale, the Plumb Place Steering Committee will now start looking to find people who will serve on the board of a revived nonprofit entity. Edwards says the steering committee will make recommendations on the property’s future.
The court will have to approve the sale once things reach that point. Any historically significant items can be transferred to the Lyon County Historical Society without compensation.
4:30 pm Wednesday: Judge approves sale process for Plumb Place
Nearly six months ago, Plumb Place closed its doors after 100 years of serving women in crisis. On Wednesday, Lyon County Judge Lee Fowler approved the sale of the building, property and personal property associated with the entity.
Fowler says the sale proceeds should pay costs incurred by receiver Kevin Flott and any unpaid costs, but at an estimated $20,000 in those costs compared to an estimated $250,000-$300,000 sale price, there should be a significant amount available to go into Plumb Place, Incorporated, and possibly resume services in the community at a later date.
Fowler says the new owners will not be restricted by the original deed mandates, which specified the house must be used to house women.
A steering committee organized by the United Way of the Flint Hills has been working on a set of recommendations since Plumb Place announced its closure shortly before the end of the year. The committee ultimately recommended the sale of the house because renovation costs — estimated as high as $850,000 — would be hard to impossible for a nonprofit agency to handle. The committee said the buyer should protect the house’s integrity and all proceeds should go to an agency that offers services to women. The committee also suggested the Plumb Place 501(c)(3) organization should not be dissolved, saying it is possible to revive the nonprofit under a new name or branding and maintain the same general mission — so sale proceeds could well go to the nonprofit to offset restart costs.
Judge Fowler made no objections to those recommendations.
Any historically significant items can be transferred to the Lyon County Historical Society without compensation.
Wednesday’s hearing is the latest step in possibly restoring services to the community after Plumb Place ended operations on Dec. 31, 2020. Financial issues had been in place for several years. Emporia Police announced an investigation into over $50,000 in missing funds dating from 2014 to mid-2017. Issues continued after the United Way briefly suspended funding in 2018 and eventually ended a better than 70-year partnership with Plumb Place in 2019.
