Deal is saving grace for Sanderlin

By LAURA HEINAUER

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 16, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- In a deal that boils down to giving the James B. Sanderlin Center away, the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg announced at a news conference Tuesday that it would sell the center to its current operators.

The sale price is $200,000, but the diocese will provide center officials with a $20,000 grant each of the next 10 years to pay off the mortgage.

In return, the 25,000-square-foot facility and eight acres at 2335 22nd Ave. S becomes the property of the Family Services Center. Ownership should enhance center officials' ability to gain independent funding, said Bill Urbanski, communications director for the diocese.

"It feels very good," Urbanski said after making the announcement. "Seeing the emotions on the volunteers' and the employees' faces when they realized they would probably be able to take this place much further than they ever imagined is a very good feeling."

"I just love happy endings," said Janis Ford, coordinator for Weed and Seed, one of many organizations that use the center. "The Sanderlin Center is a jewel in this community and now we'll be able to polish it and make it shine. It's kind of like a rebirth."

On Monday, Sanderlin Center officials were forced to appeal to the public for money. Having passed the city's deadline to repair a dozen code violations, Lounell Britt, president of the Sanderlin Center Board of Trustees, said she was worried the center might have to close.

On Tuesday, Britt beamed. "Today is a glorious day for us. I feel like we have a guardian angel among us. I thank God and I thank Bishop (Robert) Lynch for giving us this opportunity."

Under the old lease with the diocese, the center was responsible for its own maintenance. Because the building was owned by a religious organization, center officials were not allowed to use public money to repair the building.

Now that the building is owned by a non-profit organization, it could expect to have an easier time avoiding separation of church and state issues that precluded the center from receiving public monies in the past, said St. Petersburg Mayor David Fischer.

"If this center had been taken away, it would have been a real detriment to the community down here," Fischer said. "With all the services taking place here, it really is the center of this part of the community."

A variety of services are available at the center, including Florida Parent Child Care, a day care center; a Police Department community resource center; Weed and Seed Family Resources; a graduate equivalency program operated by Lakewood High School; and several youth and adult computer classes.

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