Imani church and life center to be auctioned by master commissioner

Imani Baptist Church and Family Life Center is to be sold at auction Oct. 16 by the Fayette County master commissioner.

Imani and its lender, Central Bank, were ordered earlier this year to mediate, with master commissioner James Frazier acting as the receiver.

Circuit court records note that an agreed judgment was filed Aug. 25, but it was sealed.

Tyler Powell, an attorney for Central Bank, said the fact that the property, at 1555 Georgetown Road, was on the master commissioner’s agenda spoke for itself. He would not elaborate.

Brad Hawkins, an attorney for Imani’s family life center, said Imani officials continue to seek a way to settle the dispute.

“We’re still trying to put together the components,” Hawkins said. “Imani Life Center is still pursuing a solution that will comply with the settlement and prevent the building from being sold by the master commissioner.”

The master commissioner’s website says it is not unusual for properties to be pulled before auction, so in theory, Imani has a chance to satisfy its creditor’s demands.

The dispute between Central Bank and Imani was in Fayette Circuit Court in December 2016, when Judge Ernesto Scorsone denied a motion from Central Bank to enforce a contract that would have forgiven Imani’s debt and leased it back to Imani in return for the deed to that property.

Although the master commissioner’s sale docket says the Imani property hasn’t been fully assessed for purposes of that sale, court documents say that it has been recently assessed at $12 million.

The Imani church property includes two parts: the church and the Family Life Center. The hope was to lease property in the Family Life Center to businesses that would help pay the mortgage.

Imani moved into the Georgetown Road space in 2008, but 30,000 square feet that was intended to be leased to commercial clients is unfinished.

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Imani church and life center to be auctioned by master commissioner."