The Ananda Marga New York Sectorial Office is on the Move. Please refer to the updated Information Release below, and PDF attached, outlining the recent exciting events of the move of the office.
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INFORMATION RELEASE
Ananda Marga, Inc.
(the legal embodiment of Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, New York Sector)
May 20, 2015 – This is an update to the information previously supplied on May 15, 2014 and February 6, 2015, to keep you informed on the efforts to relocate the New York Sectorial Office.
Substantial progress has been made in the move of the Sectorial Office from the location in Corona, Queens Borough, New York City. Its future location, approximately three miles to the east, in Flushing, also in the Queens Borough of New York City is close to being finalized. The purchase contract has been signed by AMI and the seller. The Sectorial office will remain in New York City, and it will continue to serve the local populace, as well as the Ananda Marga community. A buyer for the Corona site came with a great offer, and a sales contract was finalized. Soon after that took place, AM concluded a purchase contract for an exceptional property in Flushing. After our move-out and the settlement last week, the Corona property keys were handed over to its new owners. The funds from the sales proceeds, for the purchase of the future property, have been safely reserved in an escrow account, awaiting the day of the final closing.
BACKGROUND
The Sectorial Office in Corona, New York was purchased in 1987. The building, a four-family apartment house, had been renovated to suit our needs. During a majority of the years there, most of the apartments were rented out to non-Margiis in order to pay the mortgage and utilities. For some years the basement became a converted rental apartment which was abandoned due to its illegal status. The Corona location has its merits and demerits. It is a five-minute walk to the Subway station, and easy to reach the JFK and LaGuardia international airports. The main demerits are that petty crimes are common, and people do not like to come in the evening darkness for classes and for Dharmacakra. Locals passing by would regularly litter, party loud, and publicly urinate. To keep the perimeter clean, safe, and prevent citations from the city, it required a round-the-clock effort.
The infamous litigation that started in 2010, concluded in 2014 with costs reaching close to one-million dollars. Approximately $350,000 remained unpaid at a high interest rate for many, many months. We risked collection action and a lien attached to the property. More than a year ago, after careful consideration, the AM organization at the national, sectorial and central levels decided to move the office to more suitable location in New York City. We began a sincere and concentrated search for a smaller, more efficient, and economical property in a more attractive and secure neighborhood, accessible by public transit, close the airports and highways, which would also allow for the retiring of all of the past due legal bills.
A sub-committee of the Sectorial Executive Committee stipulated that the sale of Corona location should take place only if the sale would reach or exceed $1.3 million as this would leave sufficient funds for the legal bills and for a good house for the new office. The SEC also demanded that the funds realized from the sale, and their disbursements would be subject to an audit, requiring care in the accounting, etc.
Accordingly, the following targets were taken for the search of the future location:
1. The neighborhood of the new property should be better than Corona – lower crime rate, cleaner streets, people should feel safe, secure and at ease to visit us.
2. The future property should be within the four boroughs of New York City. This requirement should honor the specification given by Guru Ba’ba’ before the Corona property was purchased.
3. Transportation should be convenient.
4. It should have sufficient accommodation for Sectorial Office, a room suitable for Dharma Cakra and public yoga and meditation classes, and parsonage.
RECENT EVENTS
On May 15, 2015, the Corona building was sold for $1.4 million. With these funds, a large down payment was made for the Flushing property, with the signing of the purchase contract. The creditors holding the large unpaid legal bill balance was paid off. The balance of funds, remaining in an escrow account with our attorney, is designated for the cash purchase of the new Sectorial Office in Flushing.
This Flushing house fulfils all the requirements that were set out as stated above. It is in a very clean, respectable neighborhood. There is easy transportation: ten-minute bus ride to the Flushing Main subway station, and, the distance to the international airports is similar to that of the former site in Corona. Banks, groceries, shopping, schools, cemetery, parks are within walking distance. The purchase price of this location is slightly over $1,000,000. The property size and layout is sufficiently conducive for the purposes of offering classes, hosting Dharma Cakra, worker living spaces, and office administration.
We will announce its street address, once the purchase has been finalized, targeted for mid-July. Soon after the move has been completed and we are settled in, we will announce an open house, with the traditional house-warming ceremony of Ananda Marga. We eagerly look forward to welcoming you to the new location.
In the meantime, should you need to reach us, the telephone numbers, including the main office number of 718-898-1603, remain active.
Sectorial Secretary, Acharya Vimalananda Avadhuta, can be reached, as normal, at 718-898-1604 and .
Our sectorial website: www.anandamarga.us.
The temporary Sectorial Office location for administrative and postal mailing purposes is:
Ananda Marga Sectorial Camp Office
2005 Wheaton Haven Court
Silver Spring, Maryland 20902 USA
Ba’ba’ Na’m Kevalam
CONTACT
Acarya Diiptimanananda Avadhuta
Sectorial Office Secretary
Tel: +1-718-898-1603
[This message, and others like it, can be found online: ampsnys.org/communications ]
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