THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM
UNA executives hold year-end meeting at Soyuzivka
by Martha Lysko
UNA National Secretary
KERHONKSON, N.Y. - The third regular meeting for the year 2001 of the Executive Committee of the Ukrainian National Association was held on November 29 at the UNA resort, Soyuzivka. This was the third meeting of the year since the one scheduled for third quarter was not held due to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. (UNA executives usually meet once every quarter.)
Present at the meeting were: Ulana M. Diachuk, president; Stefko Kuropas, first vice-president; Anya Dydyk-Petrenko, second vice-president; Martha Lysko, national secretary; Stefan Kaczaraj, treasurer; and William Pastuszek, the chairman of the Auditing Committee. The Rev. Myron Stasiw, director for Canada, was unable to attend.
Members of the Executive Committee gave abbreviated oral reports because full written reports were presented to the General Assembly meeting scheduled to be held November 30 through December 2, 2001, also at the UNA resort. All present members of the Executive Committee signed the required Conflict of Interest Statement.
The treasurer reported an increase in surplus of $1 million. This figure will change in the fourth quarter due to a weak economy and fluctuation in Canadian currency, he said, adding that the the UNA should still have an increase of surplus by year's end.
The national secretary reported that many secretaries still cannot accept the change to direct billing.
Second Vice-President Dydyk-Petrenko reported on the completion of the summer program at Soyuzivka, while First Vice-President Kuropas gave a brief update on the work of the Standing Committee on Soyuzivka.
The UNA president focused on the publications and the resort in her brief comments. The UNA is once again marketing to former subscribers of both publications, and in particular to those of The Ukrainian Weekly. Credit cards can finally be used to pay for subscriptions and advertising. Mrs. Diachuk also reported that, financially, Soyuzivka did worse than the year before. This is due to the fact that many people went to Ukraine for celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence; even Labor Day weekend attracted fewer guests to Soyuzivka. Although there were many more camps this year, that did not help the bottom line.
The executive officers next discussed the 50-acre Dmytro Halychyn Foundation property which was purchased from the Shevchenko Scientific Society in 1982 in hopes of building condominiums for UNA senior citizens. Nothing was ever realized on the property. Last year the Shevchenko Scientific Society sold its holdings near Soyuzivka to the Open Space Institute. The Open Space Institute then approached the UNA to sell the 50-acre parcel to the institute. The sale of the property would eliminate the mortgage that the UNA holds on the property, which, in accordance with insurance regulations, is not considered an admitted asset.
Another possibility is to transfer the land to Soyuzivka and thus eliminate the mortgage. Officers noted that there is a well on the property and that the UNA should not sell that piece of land. After a brief discussion it was decided to transfer the Halychyn Foundation land to Soyuzivka and to prepare a new survey showing the location of the well. Any decision to sell Halychyn Foundation land should be deferred to the General Assembly meeting.
Along with its proposal to buy the Halychyn Foundation land, the Open Space Institute expressed interest in purchasing the part of Soyuzivka's land that is adjacent to the parcel already purchased from the Shevchenko Scientific Society. There are approximately 192 acres of Soyuzivka that the institute would like to purchase; however, the Executive Committee rejected this proposal.
The UNA has ordered an appraisal of Soyuzivka so that its real value can be established. This was done for the purpose of transferring Soyuzivka into a separate foundation if and when it is decided that Soyuzivka should be transferred. The report submitted by the Standing Committee on Soyuzivka explored several options and a non-profit foundation is the one currently under consideration.
It was also reported at the executives' meeting that the Nextel Corp. had approached the UNA president with a proposal to lease space in order to install a communications tower at Soyuzivka behind the water tank. It was noted that there might be some opposition from the neighbors regarding the construction of the tower. The decision was made to lease the space to Nextel for installation of the tower provided that all expenses will be born by Nextel. Nextel would then obtain all necessary permits from the town of Wawarsing. At present they are offering a fee of $21,600 annually. It was also mentioned that the UNA should raise the issue of aesthetics and request that the tower be decorated to it make fit into the natural landscape. If these demands are met there was agreement on moving ahead with the plan since the rental would help Soyuzivka's bottom line.
Another concern at the executives meeting was the Ukrainian National Association in Canada, which is supported by an excess of financial holdings in that country. Canadian regulators in their examination of UNA business in Canada questioned its ability to grow and expand. Since the UNA is not growing, the association's actuary advised that the UNA may be able to pull out of Canada. There is an option to convert all of the UNA's Canadian business to U.S. dollars and for the UNA to remain in Canada only as a venue for fraternal activities. Some decision will have to be made before the next examination by Canadian insurance authorities.
The topics that will require a decision of the UNA Convention scheduled for May 24-28 are: Soyuzivka and its future survival, Canadian membership and UNA insurance operations in Canada.
Young UNA'ers
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 27, 2002, No. 4, Vol. LXX
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