看似『風平浪靜』C-Mart 一紙合約再『掀風播浪』

(News Chinatown徐佩蒂報導)

看似『風平浪靜』的社區，預計會因C-Mart (中國超市)一紙合約，再度『掀風播浪』；事由：30年前，50 Herald St.使命便是『可負擔性住房的財產。』來自(Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com)的一篇專文指出：

市及省政府官員，對唐人街社區組織的領導人詳加關注，但各有關方面都拒絕回應『他們可能會採取什麼行動。』在最近幾個月，由於一個有爭議性的租賃安排，律政司(Martha Coakley)，辦公室已寄出一封函件致CCBA紐英崙中華公所領導，而該信的內容沒有被公開。

總檢察長辦公室証實，有函寄至CCBA，卻婉拒了記者的請求『公開記錄』，書面要求的項目涉及『一項調查資料，其中披露會妨礙有效的執法』；市長萬寧路的一位女發言人證實，市長辦公室與總檢察長辦公室尋求行動，但沒有提供細節；市長的發言人說，萬寧路市長一直非常關注在唐人街的住屋問題，短短3個月前便因40人擠住在一危樓公寓最終都獲得疏散。

CCBA紐英崙中華公所議會，其董事會在3月28日簽署一個新的租賃，50 Herald St.，公所在最早時承諾用作可負擔性的住屋，儘管一些董事強烈反對，董事會投票結果是27票比17票通過新的租約；塔芙大學紐英崙醫療中心，轉贈50 Herald St，這屬1983年CCBA在獲贈協議中的一部分，(中華公所代表華埠社區簽署饋贈書)，居民不反對在社區開發可負擔性住屋外，亦包括獲得10萬元的獎學金基金及10萬元用於職業培訓。

但CCBA從未為社區開發可負擔性住屋外，相反，新的租賃將擴大使用，首租約十年，次更加兩個五年方案；此外，較早時，因租金轉入該公所的日常運作，與1983年的協議違反，挪用資金，早些時候引起了總檢察長注目；早在2006年總檢察長辦公室亦已發了一封信，通知公所，立即恢復帳戶的資金，並停止使用該SCM基金。

CCBA的董事會領導在3月下旬租賃辯護中稱，已開始償還SCM基金，亦不忘日後的房屋發展計劃；CCBA主席黃光野沒有回應Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com的多個電話和電子郵件，末對律政司的信件發表評論；CCBA英文秘書陳國華，在一封電子郵件中寫道，我認為事情應有一個完滿的結局，律政司辦公室在適當的時候會有一個可行的解決方案。』(文以英文報導為準)

City and state officials have joined Chinatown leaders who are closely watching a neighborhood organization, but all parties are declining to say what action they may take.

The office of Attorney General Martha Coakley has sent a letter to the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England — under scrutiny by Chinatown community leaders in recent months due to a controversial lease arrangement — but the contents of that letter have not been made public.

The attorney general’s office acknowledged that the letter existed but declined a reporter’s public records request, writing that the items requested “are investigative materials necessarily compiled out of the public’s view, the disclosure of which would compromise effective law enforcement.”

A spokeswoman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino confirmed that the mayor’s office had called the attorney general’s office seeking action but would not provide details.

Dot Joyce, the mayor’s spokeswoman, said Menino was “always very concerned about housing in Chinatown,” where 40 people were evacuated from an apartment building deemed unsafe by the city just three months ago.

Recent neighborhood scrutiny of the benevolent association stems from a vote its board made on March 28 to sign a new lease with the C-Mart supermarket chain on a property at 50 Herald St. that the association long ago promised to use for affordable housing. The board voted 27 to 17 for the new lease, despite vigorous opposition from some members.

Tufts University and the New England Medical Center conveyed the Herald Street property to the association as part of a 1983 deal. The association signed on behalf of the Chinatown community, saying residents would not oppose institutional expansion in the neighborhood in exchange for a site to develop affordable housing, a $100,000 scholarship fund, and $100,000 for job training.

But the association never used the site for housing; instead, it has been rented out as a supermarket space for 19 years. The new lease would extend that use for another decade, with two five-year renewal options.

Additionally, rent from the lease has been diverted into the association’s general fund, in violation of the 1983 agreement. The diversion of funds earlier attracted the attention of the attorney general’s office, which in 2006 sent a letter demanding that the association “at a minimum, immediately restore funds to the … account and stop any further improper use of the funds.”

Leaders of the association’s board defended the lease in late March, saying it would enable them to plan for development of housing at a later date and to begin to repay the housing fund.

Rick Wong, president of the benevolent association, did not respond to multiple phone calls and e-mail requests for comment on the attorney general’s letter.

In an e-mail, Simon Chan, English Secretary for the association, wrote, “I do believe that things should move to a happy ending and a workable solution with the [attorney general’s] office in due course.”