New questions are being raised about Point Forward, a Pittsburg, Kansas, non-profit that is remodeling the former Washington School into a child care center.
Point Forward was awarded more than $700,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding in 2023, but in April, it became clear that it could not receive the $705,000 as it was not a licensed childcare provider.
It also received a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant facilitated by the City of Pittsburg. However, it is unclear whether Point Forward listed the county’s original pledge as part of matching funds for the CDBG grant.
Board Member Jay Byers—who is also the assistant Pittsburg city manager—said in an email, “The county funds were not part of the CDBG application. All match references were regarding private funds. There is $3 million in private funding for the project. The CDBG match requirement is $750,000.”
However, Point Forward has not substantiated that claim, as the only proof offered is a printout of an online CDBG application showing “private cash” in the amount of $966,016.
The Sentinel attempted to verify the amount of funding Point Forward had on hand and if there were sufficient donations by checking the organization’s tax return.
The organization’s Form 990 tax return for 2022 says it is organized as a 501c(3) charitable organization and shows a bit over $2 million in assets. The form was filed in May of 2023 and lists $1,036,900 in cash, $805,000 in net pledges and grants, and $197,656 in “other assets.”
It also lists “Washington School LLC” as a subsidiary and the owner of the old school building. The form values the structure — built in the 1930s and abandoned for decades — at $1.9 million. The Crawford County Appraiser’s Office lists the value as $74,290. The sale price is unknown because the building was purchased from a private owner, and that record is not public.
According to the Crawford County Register of Deeds office, Point Forward purchased the building from Randy Villela on August 29, 2023, just five days after its incorporation.
Other issues with Point Forward
In addition, while the Form 990 lists an address for the organization, it is also the same address as the Block 22 offices in downtown Pittsburg, where Secretary Shawn Naccarato — an employee of Pittsburg State University works — and Point Forward is not listed on the outside of the building as having an office there.
The organization also has no website and the only contact information on Point Forward’s Facebook page is a gmail address.
The Sentinel contacted Naccarato and Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce President Blake Benson, who is also a member of the board, asking for the annual reports required by law.
Naccarato said he would “follow up” with “our team” to provide the requested information but, as of publication, has not done so.
County Commission circumvented its own procedures to make award
In December of 2023, the Sentinel raised questions about why and how the money was awarded after the commission simply ignored its own procedures to give the money to Point Forward Inc.
At the Dec. 8, 2023, County Commission meeting, Commission Chairman Bruce Blair said in response to questions by the Sentinel that Point Forward had “been part of this since the beginning.”
There is no documentation to substantiate that statement, however. While local businessman Ron Scripsick, who is chairman of the Point Forward board of directors, may have been involved in conversations about child care at the beginning, Point Forward incorporated on August 24, 2022 — long after the window for applications had closed in May of 2022.
When pressed about that fact, Blair said it “didn’t matter” and whether Point Forward existed prior to its incorporation date was “a matter of opinion.”
Indeed, despite the commission voting 2-1 in October to simply “deem” that Point Forward had applied — Commissioner Tom Moody and Blair voted for the motion, Commissioner Carl Wood, who has been critical of the way this was handled since taking his seat in January of 2023, voted in opposition. Emails between the commission and Greenbush make it clear that Point Forward had never submitted an application.