Idora Park owner again hit by foreclosure threat

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The church planned to build a 'City of God' at the site.

YOUNGSTOWN — For the second time during Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church's 13-year occupation of Idora Park, lenders are threatening foreclosure on the 26-acre site that formerly housed an amusement park.

Florida-based lender Teen Missions International Inc. filed a civil complaint in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court last month. The organization is demanding $1.5 million in unpaid mortgage and accrued interest from the church.

Teen Missions' primary aim is the training and financing of young evangelical Christian missionaries. The organization, however, occasionally acts as a mortgage broker for churches. It loaned the church $1.2 million between 2002 and 2003 to support Mount Calvary's plans to construct a City of God.

Mount Calvary's plans for the Christian-themed development included a new worship center for Mount Cavalry as well as a shopping mall, savings and loan and retirement home.

"They haven't paid," said Teen Missions Director John Bland. "And it's been a long, long, long time."

Bishop Norman L. Wagner, pastor of Mount Calvary, denied knowledge of the foreclosure proceedings. He said plans are "going straight ahead" on the site.

What happened

When Bishop Wagner and his congregation first bought the South Side property, in 1984, they planned to break ground on the "City of God" in 1987. Over the past two decades, however, financial problems have plagued the project.

Vindicator files show that in 1984, Mount Calvary was forced to scale back plans to construct an elderly-housing complex for lack of funds only months after receiving a $2.2 million federal loan for construction costs.

Four years later, the church lost the property in a foreclosure suit.

But in an unlikely turn of events, Mount Calvary regained the property for the bargain price of $1 in 1994. Consumers United Insurance Co. resold the property to the church after negotiations with the Idora Park Historical Society for its sale broke down.

Former Mayor Patrick Ungaro speculated that year that Consumers United may have been pursuing a tax write-off when they accepted the church's offer.

In 2001, a fire destroyed the only remaining hospitable structure on the property — the historic Idora Park Ballroom. The blaze left the church responsible for $100,000 in an asbestos-removal project in addition to the cost of the building's demolition.

Since then, the church has undertaken some small demolition projects and some paving and fencing work, but no new construction has taken place, according to documents from the Mahoning County auditor's office.

The auditor's office lists the current value of the property as $157,000. Mount Calvary owes $20,000 in delinquent taxes, as well, according to reports.

Carol Potter, director of development and marketing for Mill Creek Metroparks, said that in light of the possible foreclosure, the park system would consider expanding onto the Idora Park property.

The 2,600-acre Mill Creek Park surrounds Idora Park.

"We've always hoped that at some point in the future, the land would become part of Mill Creek Park," she said.

"There would have to be some environmental assessments as well as cleanup work."

Monday, January 8, 2007