“My client and I have been informed that there is an ongoing investigation,” he wrote in an email to the Journal-News. “As such, while my client would like to comment and clear up several misconceptions. She is taking my advice and refusing to comment on any allegations at this time.”
Last week, Middletown Police Chief David Birk told the Journal-News that Rodgers and her attorney were scheduled to meet with Middletown detectives on July 28, but they never showed.
Borger said what Birk told the news outlet was incorrect. He met with Middletown detectives July 28, but earlier than their appointment, he said.
“When I met with the detectives, I informed them that Ms. Rodgers was not going to attend, thereby exercising her constitutional right to remain silent,” Borger said.
How Central Connections got into its current financial situation is unclear, though Middletown police are investigating if Rodgers committed any crimes. Her contract was terminated and she was escorted by police out of the building on July 27.
Rodgers was hired in 2021 and Central Connections then completed a $1.5 million remodel to attract more members and generate revenue through wedding receptions and parties.
According to 2021 tax returns from Form 990, reviewed by the Journal-News, Central Connections profited $1.04 million in 2020 and $564,681 in 2021.
The center began 2021 with $4.6 million in net assets or fund balances and ended the year with $5.188 million. The biggest difference was found under total liabilities when they dropped from $875,607 at the beginning of 2021 to $155,532 at the end of the year.
The document listed Rodgers as the executive director.
On July 29, 2022, Rodgers signed for a mortgage loan through First National Bank for $450,000, then did a loan modification that increased the amount to $650,000, according to the Butler County Recorder’s Office. Her signature and job title are listed on the loan that matures on July 29, 2024.
City Manager Paul Lolli, during a special City Council meeting last week, told the overflow crowd of concerned city citizens that City Council supported purchasing Central Connections for an unknown amount. The building and land are owned by the Middletown Area Senior Citizens Inc.
According to the Butler County auditor’s website, the land at 3907 Central Ave. is appraised at $225,000 and the building at $1.9 million for a total of $2.144 million. But those are valuations from Jan. 1, 2020, before the center had a $1.5 million remodel.
The land and property will be reappraised based off the Jan. 1, 2023, valuations.
Lolli admitted the city owning Central Connections would be “challenging, but worth it.”
Then he added: “We can’t let this go. We have to provide the services the seniors depend on.”
Lolli said Central Connections will be purchased with the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, meaning taxpayers will have paid for the building twice. The money from the sale would be used to pay off the center’s debt, though the building was paid off from a levy that generated $7 million over 10 years.
With no executive director in place and with the contract with the Council on Aging cancelled, Lolli said Jackie Phillips, health director, will oversee daily operations of the center for the short-term.
The center, according to its Facebook page, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday with the café serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The center is closed Saturday and Sunday and all weekend events have been cancelled due to the lack of staff, the city has said.
The city hopes to retain as many of the 35 employees as possible, Lolli said.
At least one developer, D.E.R. Development Co. has filed a lien against Central Connections, according to documents obtained by the Journal-News. The document says the company is owed $266,594.52, plus allowable interest.
The lien was filed on May 5, 2023, and signed by William Roe, vice president of the company.
