Bowling World Newspaper July/August 2021

22 www.bowlingworld.com - July/August 2021 Church Looking To Purchase Bowling Alley (Nu Generation Lanes) by Lynzie Lowe, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, CA May 21—A Yuba City landmark might soon be changing hands, as a local church is in talks to purchase the building that has housed the bi-county area's only bowling alley — Nu Generation Lanes. Greg Mansur, lead pastor at Adventure Church of Yuba City, said the church has been searching for a place to call home permanently for the past several years while they continue to lease a warehouse space on Garden Highway. "We have been shaking every bush, lifting every rock in search of a location big enough to accommodate our parish," said Mansur. At this time, Mansur said the church has approximately 1,000 members and has continued to grow and thrive in recent months despite the many challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Mansur, the church was approached by local realtors and builders earlier this year, since many in the community knew they were in search of a large location, and were informed that the bowling alley would be closing and the building would soon be on the market. Mansur said he and his team were excited for the opportunity and began talking to their realtor and the owners of the bowling alley to move forward with the process. The parties came to an agreement, according to Mansur, in which the church would pay $3.7 million for the 45,000-square-foot building on the five-acre property. As part of the deal, all of the bowling equipment will be removed from the facility. Mansur said they signed a contract earlier this month and entered into a due dili- gence period, which runs through the end of the month. At that time, the church will make their final decision about whether or not to move forward with the purchase. " When we signed the contract with the owners on May 6, we were asked to hold off on making any announcement until the employees and bowlers could be noti- fied," said Mansur. "We agreed on a 10-day window for that to take place, with an understanding that we would be making this announcement to our congregation and the community on Sunday, May 16th. Unfortunately, as we have learned, that did not take place, and we are so sorry that this was the way so many found out." According to Mansur, the owners of the bowling alley never informed the bowlers, leagues or employees of the impending closure. The church's announcement on Facebook sparked quite a controversy. The current owners of Nu Generation Lanes did not return calls for comment by the time of publication. While in the due diligence phase, Mansur said the church will continue collecting donations from the congregation to come up with the down payment for the facility. While excited, Mansur said the opportunity to purchase the bowling alley property is bittersweet. "None of us want to see a business close in our com- munity," said Mansur. "The bowling alley is much more than just a bowling alley...It is a place for families. A place families have gathered for generations. Bowling alleys leave a mark on the community." A 'great loss' for the community. Some members of the Yuba-Sutter community, how- ever, are not as excited about the possibility of losing the local bowling alley. Local bowler James Anderson said he has been bowl- ing since he was eight or nine years old and frequents Nu Generation Lanes upwards of three times per week. Anderson said he has nothing against the church, but he is against them purchasing the building because of the great loss that will result for the community. "If we lose this, what do we have left," said Anderson. "What will happen to the 80 and 90 year olds that come out and bowl each week and the kids or the handicap bowling league? Where will they go now?" Anderson said he has reached out to members of the bowling community to find someone that could put in a counteroffer to purchase the building and keep the facil- ity a bowling alley. (Continued on next page) 32 BOWLING LANES - With Flashing Bumpers & Computer Scoring HOME OF THE STEVE COOK CLASSIC GAME & VIDEO ARCADE - GLOW BOWLING with lights & music Every Friday & Saturday Night KARAOKE - Every Friday & Saturday Night in our sports bar & grill ( ( 916) 725-2101 * 7901 Auburn Blvd ., Citrus Heights, CA 95610 (916) 725-2101