News

In offer to buy OppHouse, Carolina Village envisions array of services

Students from FernLeaf Community Charter School visit Carolina Village often to spend time with residents — in crafts, games, interviewing and other activities. The lifecare center’s leaders envision similar intergenerational programming at the old Opportunity House. [CONTRIBUTED]

By Bill Moss, Published: September 4, 2024

The Opportunity House, the once-robust activity center that served thousands of seniors in Henderson County before falling into physical disrepair and sputtering to an end, could be reborn as a nonprofit facility serving older folks and young children and adults in between.

Carolina Village, the sprawling life-care center, announced last week that it had made an offer to purchase the 19,800-square-foot facility and two acres it occupies at 1411 Asheville Highway. The offer has been accepted by the receiver for the property, Asheville attorney John Noor,
Carolina Village said in a news release. Approval of the sale could come as early as next Wednesday, when Chief Resident Superior Court Judge Peter Knight is expected to take up Noor’s motion to approve the sale, distribute assets and grant attorneys’ fees.

The Lightning had not seen a copy of the motion by this week’s print deadline, and Carolina Village did not disclose the amount of the retirement center’s offer.

When the Opportunity House board voted to dissolve the nonprofit in June 2022, it said it wanted to liquidate the assets and distribute the money after paying the total amount owed to creditors, which it estimated to be $390,000. The real property is valued on the tax books at $2,117,900, and because Henderson County’s tax collector revoked its nonprofit status in 2022, proceeds from the sale could cover back taxes. In 2022, when the property was valued at $1,897,800, the combined city-county tax bill would have totaled $20,496 a year — not counting interest, penalties and other costs.

Could serve children, seniors and in-between

Carolina Village portrayed the potential new life of the OppHouse as one serving senior health, social and child-care needs. It said its leaders are “in discussion with other community non-profits regarding collaborative uses of the facility to serve a broad range of services, from children to seniors.” It cited:

• Senior wellness: Carolina Village has close partnerships with existing senior services, including Council on Aging, the Congregate Dining program, and others. Several of these services have been displaced recently and Carolina Village aims to provide a permanent location for these services. Other possible uses for the space include geriatric wellness research and training by specially trained health professionals.
• Memory care: Alzheimer’s and dementia services are a significant need in Henderson County, a need that Carolina Village hopes to alleviate in partnership with MountainCare Adult Day.
• Health care: Carolina Village, which works closely with local healthcare providers, will continue to do so in this new initiative.
• Childcare options: Working closely with the Henderson County Early Childhood Task Force, Children and Family Resource Center and Smart Start Partnership for Children, Carolina Village leaders have talked about “creative childcare options in this space, including intergenerational programming.” (Carolina Village currently hosts an intergenerational program in which FernLeaf Community Charter School students spend time with residents in crafts, playing games, interviewing and learning.)

On-site housing is not envisioned.

‘Meaningful engagement across generations’

“The revival of the Opportunity House is a testament to the collaboration and innovation that make our community so special,” Carolina Village Board Chair Trina Stokes said in the news release. “As an employer, we are well aware of the need for innovative childcare options, and as a premier provider of services to adults, we understand the diverse needs of those who choose to live and thrive in Henderson County. This initiative is all about meaningful engagement across generations.”

Jamie Wiener, executive director of the Children and Family Resource Center, added: “We appreciate Carolina Village for acknowledging the gaps in child care in our community. This collaborative project will benefit Henderson County for years to come by creating space for our youngest residents to learn and grow and our oldest residents will have a space to cultivate relationships and improve their well-being.”

Lawsuit filed in 2018

The effort to resurrect the OppHouse for public good goes back to December 2018, when the Community Foundation of Henderson County filed a lawsuit asking the court to determine whether the senior center was still operating as a nonprofit. The lawsuit, despite fierce resistance by a handful of insiders who claimed to be the elected board and appointed directors of the organization, resulted in Judge Knight’s order forcing the OppHouse into receivership and appointing Noor, the receiver, to guide its dissolution, sale and distribution of proceeds and assets.

While the Community Foundation favored the receivership, its attorney, Steven Grabenstein, warned in a court filing that OppHouse leaders should not be rewarded in the process.

“We have identified a few issues that we hope will be addressed in the dissolution process,” Grabenstein said. “First and foremost, we have asked that the receiver and the Court ensure that the proceeds from the sale of OH’s property be disbursed to non-profits in Henderson County. Second, we are asking that the creditors’ claims from OH insiders be closely scrutinized and analyzed by the receiver, the AG and the Court.”

The Community Foundation hopes the proposed new programming “serves the purpose the Opportunity House was actually meant for,” McCray Benson, the foundation’s president and CEO, said Tuesday. “We have people who are interested in being there” at next week’s hearing. “I think we will have people there.”