Sale of Halle-founded nonprofit building postponed to Sept. 15
The sale of the Grace Youth and Family Foundation building at 100 Center Ave. has been postponed until Sept. 15, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s office.
According to officials, the nonprofit’s founder, Bill Halle, failed to pay its mortgage for two years.
Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe said Friday, May 19, that attorneys from the mortgage company requested a postponement Thursday, May 18, but offered no explanation in their letter.
The sheriff sale will take place at 11 a.m. Sept. 15 in the Butler County Government Center, 124 W. Diamond St.
Halle founded Grace Youth and Family Foundation in 1994. A Facebook post May 1 by the foundation said it would not be operating its summer children’s program, and the adjoining Net Cafe is temporarily closing.
In past years, the city paid the foundation about $8,000 to prepare and serve meals and snacks four days a week in the summer for children at local parks. The program runs from mid-June to mid-August.
The city is searching for an organization to run the Child Summer Food Service and Activities program, as June 9 is the last day of classes for Butler Area School District students who are served by the program.
An extension of the free and reduced school lunch program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the summer program provides free meals and activities for children ages 18 and younger in low-income areas.
The city is working to find a replacement organization to run the summer food program, Mayor Bob Dandoy said Friday, May 19.
“We’re still reaching out,” he said. “We still want this to happen and would be happy to sit down and go over any initiative. Ironically, for once, we do have some resources for this so someone needs to reach out.”
The foundation’s operations were put on hold after a temporary sexual violence protection order against Halle. He is prohibited from contacting a 17-year-old minor after the juvenile’s father claimed Halle had a sexual relationship with the teen. No charges have been filed against Halle.
The order was issued April 28, by Butler County Common Pleas Judge S. Michael Yeager. On April 30, Halle resigned from the Butler school board, as well as the boards of the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School and the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV.
An indirect criminal contempt complaint was later filed against Halle for a Facebook post made on May 1. The post was cited by officials as a violation of the protection order and mentioned the juvenile. Hearings about the protection order and contempt complaint are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. June 20 in the Butler County Courthouse.
