Ukrainian groups seek to save Verkhovyna
by Oleh Kolodiy
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. - The Ukrainian American Cultural Foundation and members of the Ukrainian community in Glen Spey, N.Y., are fighting to save the Verkhovyna resort center.
At its convention in 1998 and its Supreme Council meeting in 2000, the Ukrainian Fraternal Association voted to sell Verkhovyna to the UACF for the price of $925,000. In August 2000 the UACF received a contract from UFA President Ivan Oleksyn for this sale.
That contract contained a number of clauses that made it impossible for the UACF to obtain a mortgage to purchase Verkhovyna, including stipulations that the UCAF could not resell the property without UFA permission for a number of years to be determined and that no third party would be allowed to participate in the deal (the UCAF at the time had a third party, a Ukrainian religious group that was interested in supporting the purchase of Verkhovyna). The UACF asked for a meeting to discuss these clauses, but the UFA's lawyer replied that the contract must be signed as is and refused to meet.
In December 2000 Mr. Oleksyn signed a contract for the sale of Verkhovyna to a non-Ukrainian group based in Monticello, N.Y., for the price of approximately $1.1 million.
The Ukrainian community in Glen Spey and members of the UFA began a campaign to try to convince Mr. Oleksyn to sell the property to the UACF, and a meeting between the UACF and the UFA and the lawyers for both groups took place on January 31.
Mr. Oleksyn indicated that since the Monticello group was scheduled to close the contract on January 29, he would sell for the same price of $1.1 million and without the previous clauses if he could be assured that the UACF in fact had the money.
UACF President Dr. Stepan Woroch presented a faxed letter from a bank approving a mortgage based on a 30 percent down payment and the signing of an acceptable standard contract. He suggested that a contract be signed immediately with a 10 percent down payment. Mr. Oleksyn indicated that, pending a vote of the UFA executive the next day, a contract would be signed. The next day however, Mr. Oleksyn took steps to complete the deal with the Monticello group.
Oleh Dekajlo, the lawyer for the groups attempting to stop the sale of Verkhovyna to any non-Ukrainian group, filed papers for an injunction to stop the sale. On February 15, Mr. Dekajlo, representing UACF and UFA members, filed an injunction against the sale of Vekhovyna in Federal Court in Monticello. A court date is scheduled for March 7.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 4, 2001, No. 9, Vol. LXIX
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