United Methodist Children's Home to sell historic 77-acre Decatur campus Rosie Manins | 1/20/2017, 6 a.m. The historic 77-acre Decatur campus of the United Methodist Children’s Home is being sold by the home’s board of trustees, ... United Methodist Children's Home vice president of development John Cerniglia said on Jan. 18 it is possible the 1906 chapel on the home's 77-acre Decatur campus might be saved as a condition of the historic property's sale. ROSIE MANINS 23 Now members have to figure out how they will do that, and at what cost. “As we look to the future with our residents, alumni, staff, neighbors and others in the community, there are, no doubt, a lot of questions that still need to be answered,” Jones said in a Jan. 17 press release. “The board’s vote was just one step on a journey forward, and we will continue working collaboratively with all of those who have embraced our mission, and have partnered with us in accomplishing it,” he said. As yet there is no specific buyer or plan for the property. Cerniglia, the development vice president, said the board is prepared to put restrictions on the sale in order to ensure the campus has a legacy. It is possible the chapel could be saved, but he said that is just one of many options yet to be fully explored. “We don’t know today what this means exactly because there are so many factors involved," Cerniglia told CrossRoadsNews on Jan. 18. "We are committed to something being here for a long time.” He said alumni have provided a short list of suggestions that they think are quite reasonable. "We would love nothing more than alumni to be involved," he said. "History is important to us because of the miracles that have happened here, but our number one priority is the children.” By selling the campus, UMCH estimates it can provide foster care and support services to an additional 63 children and parents each year in perpetuity. Doing more aligns with its current five-year strategic plan, adopted in 2015, to expand services and help an average of 500 foster children daily in partnership with churches. Presently up to about 100 children, young adults and parents can be accommodated at the Decatur campus, and an additional 90 to 100 children are typically served through UMCH off-campus foster homes. The nonprofit organization serves in 40 counties across north Georgia. Last year, it delivered more than 56,000 days of care. UMCH has an endowment of about $32 million and expects to add at least $30 million from the campus sale, once costs have been taken into account. Cerniglia said with a projected five percent rate of return, the home will yield about $1.5 million extra per year, and that is to be spent helping more people across a larger portion of northern Georgia. For that reason, he said the decision to sell, which was not made lightly, brought joy to trustees. “They were incredibly attentive and understood that it was an historic moment and there was a sensitivity too, as well as joy and anticipation and excitement about serving more people,” he said. The campus costs about $1.5 million to operate annually and Cerniglia said it has a long list of deferred maintenance. “For example we have over 100 heating and air conditioning units and 70 percent are over 20 years old, which is beyond their life expectancy,” he said. The 55-plus campus employees and the residents were informed about the changes on Jan. 18.