By:Jason Scheer
The addition has been reduced from the original plan of 2,734 square feet to 1,700. In addition, the total number of seats in the church has been reduced from 617 to 543, with 498 seats in the pews and the rest in the nave and for the music ministry.
With fewer available seats, fewer parking spaces are required by the zoning board. Under the new plan, 71 spaces are available, which means that a smaller percentage of the property will be used for parking. At the previous zoning board meeting, officials suggested that the lot coverage be reduced to 30 percent. With a smaller expanded church and fewer parking spaces, total lot coverage comes to 29.9 percent.
The new design, according to the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Rev. Donald Baier, and the architect, Ira Haspel, will be less expensive than the original project, the cost of which was estimated at $2.3 million. The church has raised $1.8 million for the project. Baier said the difference will be made up by the church's savings.
The issue of expansion was first discussed more than four years ago. At that time, the church began discussing the ramifications of a priest shortage. With fewer priests, the church would have to host fewer weekend Masses, meaning that more people would attend any given Mass. Baier suggested expansion as a means of eliminating the problem of an overcrowded, understaffed institution.
At the same time, parishioners and Baier recognized a need for handicapped access to the church. Expansion would help satisfy this need as well.
Originally, church members agreed to expand the facility and build a gymnasium. However, initial fund-raising campaigns fell short, and plans for the gym had to be scrapped.
Even without the gym in the plans, 758 parishioners pledged money for the expansion project. Nearly 200 parishioners, however, oppose the plans. Those in opposition said they have not had enough input and would prefer to have the church made handicapped-accessible without drastically altering the layout of the building.
Members of the zoning board elected not to make a final decision last week in order to further review the new designs. Officials said that the final decision should be made at the next meeting, the fourth on the issue. No date has been set for the meeting because of the holiday season.
Comments about this story? JScheer@liherald.com or (516)569-4000 ext. 282.
