East Rockaway village board to find solution for mission trip’s shower issue amid complaints

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David Carley, co-chair of the Bethany Congregational Church’s board of trustees, said he was told that if church officials did not find a way to prevent a mission trip’s shower water from leaking into the ground by June 23, East Rockaway’s building department would issue a summons to get the group to leave the church.

Groups of teenagers from Next Step — a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization that sends youths from throughout the country to work on construction projects in communities that need help — have come to Oceanside and East Rockaway for a week at a time each to help out after the areas were heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The teens use a shower facility parked outside of Bethany Church, which has led to complaints from an anonymous person over the water leaking out.

Despite the warning from the village, Carley said he did not receive a summons and was instead told that the board would like to help the church find a solution to the problem.

“We will resolve this,” said Richard Bilello, a trustee for the Village of East Rockaway, who told Carley that the board was looking into a solution. “I am glad we’re working on it and [were] made aware.”

The apparent change in attitude came after Pastor Mark Lukens posted on Facebook on June 22, writing “due to complaints from a neighbor to the Village of East Rockaway, Next Step may be forced out from Bethany church.”

Lukens’s post sparked outrage from some East Rockaway residents, many of whom have had their houses rebuilt by Next Step participants. “That’s horrible,” wrote Tara Rodgers Elias. “Next Step truly helped us. How does someone even complain about that?!”

Carley said he was surprised that the complaints came from seemingly out of nowhere. “It hasn’t been a problem until now, and we’re not doing anything different,” he said.

To solve the problem, Carley plans to install a drain in the parking lot where the shower facility is parked. The drain would connect to the church’s sewer system, but the installation could cost $5,600, he said.

With the village’s help, the church would not have to endure this cost alone. “They’re [the village trustees] working with departments to see what they can do without imposing exorbitant costs on the church,” Carley said.

Still, Carley is not confident that the problems with the village are over. “I think they may hold off a little bit, unless the complaint keeps coming through,” he said. “… We certainly don’t want the kids to suffer.”