Foundation presents plans, answers questions about merger

DUNKIRK — There were some questions.

But the overall response to a planned merger of foundations was positive.

The Dunkirk Foundation’s board of directors shared plans to merge with The Portland Foundation and heard comments from the public during a special meeting Tuesday at West Jay Community Center.

The foundation’s board of directors plans to vote on the merger at its regular meeting Thursday, with The Portland Foundation set to vote during its regular meeting next week. The target date for the merger is July 1.

The board had sent letters to past supporters informing them of the plans and also announced them in local media last week.

“To do this, we want to be very up front with what we’re doing,” said Jesse Bivens, president of The Dunkirk Foundation, who was joined by fellow board members Christy Curts, Jill Ford, Judy Geesaman, Kathy Nelson, Don Hall and Dan Watson along with emeritus member Chuck Huffman. (Board members Will Masters and Jim Weiseman were not in attendance.)

Bivens explained that discussions of a merger have been happening on and off for nearly 30 years, with The Dunkirk Foundation approaching it seriously again within the last three years. The organization brought in a consultant to assist with the process in October and looked at pros and cons. Bivens noted benefits such as having a full-time staff and a physical presence, being able to take advantage of greater resources and having institutional knowledge that is difficult to maintain with an all-volunteer board.

He also pointed out that The Dunkirk Foundation is on the edge of not meeting IRS requirements for public foundations.

A memorandum of understanding between the two foundations indicates that The Portland Foundation will take over the 14 funds — they total $2.06 million and will be known as the Dunkirk Community Funds — that are currently part of The Dunkirk Foundation. They will all be advisory funds, with the current board of The Dunkirk Foundation becoming Dunkirk Community Advisors to make recommendations for grants and scholarships for those funds. Those recommendations will be honored by The Portland Foundation as long as they follow the rules for the fund and don’t violate laws or regulations, or jeopardize The Portland Foundation’s tax status.

Rural Dunkirk resident Phil Ford was supportive of the idea but asked if those details are spelled out in the memorandum — they are — and said he felt the community would feel more comfortable with the merger if it was guaranteed a seat on The Portland Foundation’s board of directors.

Huffman, who currently sits on The Portland Foundation’s board, explained that while that had been discussed, no such seats are provided to other communities in the county. Doug Inman, executive director of The Portland Foundation, noted that its board members are appointed — two each — by the Jay Circuit Court judge, Jay Superior Court judge, superintendent of Jay School Corporation and Mayor of Portland, with only one appointed by the board itself.

“They will be the Dunkirk Community Funds, and we will talk about the Dunkirk Community Funds just like we now talk about The Dunkirk Foundation,” said Huffman. “Local people will be making the decisions that are really important.”

Dunkirk Mayor Jack Robbins spoke in support of the move while acknowledging his mixed feelings.

“As mayor, it’s hard to swallow,” he said, his voice quavering. “Any time you lose something out of the City of Dunkirk, it’s hard. But I understand.”

“You heard Jack’s voice tremble,” said Bivens. “We’ve been there. We did that. But the benefits outweigh all of our heartache.”

Curts later said she was not initially in favor of the idea of a merger when it came up again, but that an important factor in making it work is that Dunkirk maintains control over its funds. Other board members also spoke in support of the merger.

“That’s a lot of money, more money than a group of volunteers can really sustain,” said former longtime board member and president of The Dunkirk Foundation Brenda Brumfield. “When you’ve got that much money and those donors who have faith in us, we can’t afford to drop the ball on that trust. …

“I 100% endorse what you’re doing.”

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, The Dunkirk Foundation presented its grants from The Johnson Fund for the Dunkirk Community. The largest of the grants was $10,867.10 for landscaping, picnic tables and other improvements to Webster Depot Park. Also receiving grants were: West Jay Community Center – $4,500 for landscaping and flag pole replacement; Dunkirk Beautification Committee – $3,250 for a mural on the south side of the city building; and Dunkirk Historical Society – $1,897.02 for painting, shelving and mannequins to help expand its displays.