Pictured are Zoraya Rowlands, the main contact for us with the Port KC, Jon Stephens, the new CEO and President of Port KC and CU Chief Operations Officer, Randy Grimm. The land purchased is indicated on the map below.
Seventeen years may seem like a long time, but in God’s timing it was just a blink.
Seventeen years may seem like a long time, but in God’s timing it was just a blink. On April 5, 2019, the much anticipated purchase of twenty acres of land plus Philly Hall, the gym, CABRE (old seminary building) and the Special Events building from the Port Authority of Kansas City was completed. We no longer have lease payments or insurance bills for buildings that we are not using and that have outlived their prime. However, we are keeping the maintenance shop and the missionary duplex, leasing both of these for a dollar per year for the next five years.
This process began back in 2002 with an invitation from the Aviation Department of Kansas City to buy the campus. The price was negotiated and a letter of intent was signed. The whole process was brought to a halt, though, because of restrictions in the law that prevented Kansas City from selling the property without a bidding process.
In February of 2005, Calvary was approached once again about purchasing the property and we ventured down this road with great hopes that this would be the time to get something accomplished. Once again we were unsuccessful. When the property on the east side of the street became available at no cost, Calvary went through a lengthy process starting in 2006. We filled out applications that resulted in many ups and downs, but we finally received word in 2011 that the east campus property would be donated to Calvary on December 11, 2011.
Consideration of owning the west campus was put on hold until the Port Authority of Kansas City entered the picture. Through a series of conversations and negotiations, the original price mentioned in 2002 of $362,200 was agreed upon in February 2017. Once again many setbacks and changed dates came and went, but the time finally arrived. Despite many skeptics who believed it would never happen, on Friday, April 5 at 11:00 a.m., the property was secured.
We are grateful for God’s provision through the sale of the radio station several years ago, which provided the funds to secure this piece of property for good stewardship of our resources as well as future expansion of Calvary University’s Kansas City campus.
