Church Expansion Gets Blessing of Neighbors

St. Pius X Catholic Church's plan to build a 14,230-square-foot Faith Center behind its church on Brookside Drive in Fairfield was so well-received Tuesday night that John Fallon, the church's attorney, declined to make a closing statement.

"This is the most intelligent and beautiful design I've ever seen," Douglas Soutar, a member of the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, said after Fallon and John Doyle, the church's architect, made their presentation.

When Seth Baratz, the commission's chairman, asked Fallon if he had anything else to say, Fallon quipped, "I can't top that."

But several residents tried, voicing whole-hearted support for the church's addition before the public hearing in McKinley School's cafeteria ended about 10:40 p.m.

"We think it will provide much-needed space for the parish work," said Michael Mangan of Galloping Hill Road, who said he was a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church and neighbor of the church. "We support the project. We have no objection to the project, and we support the construction, and we look forward to it being completed."

Tom Buckley, also of Galloping Hill Road, said the church needed extra space and that it would be more economical, since the church could hold weekday Masses in a small chapel to be constructed, rather than having to heat or air condition the nearly 10,000-square-foot main church. "There really are no objections in the neighborhood to the construction. I think, if anything, it will add to the attractiveness of the neighborhood," he said.

Gene Fairfield, a member of the church for 40 years, also spoke in support of the church addition.

Monsignor Lawrence Carroll, the church's pastor, said the church had increased its ministries and the parish "has taken on a whole new vision of activity and participation," which resulted in the church outgrowing its buildings. In addition to the main church, which was built in 1955, the 13.3-acre grounds also include a school, built in 1964, and a rectory, built in 1991. The grounds also include a historic barn.

Carroll said the school building, used by Hunt Ridge Montessori School in the mornings, has a total of 1,000 students a week who take religious education classes. He said the church's need for space can't be met by existing buildings because they're used to capacity.

The addition would include a chapel for Mass on weekdays and prayer groups, with a prayer garden behind the chapel; a large multi-purpose space for social gatherings and youth ministries; and office and meeting spaces for "what has become a large staff," Carroll said.

Doyle said the three components of the expansion would have a pre-cast brick exterior, slate roofs and be linked by a corridor.

Fallon said Michael Galante, the church's traffic consultant, was on vacation but had submitted a report to zoning officials in which he said the church expansion would not lead to "an intensification of use from a traffic perspective."

"We really tried to create a much more centralized and focused campus setting," Fallon said.

On its Web site, the church says it's 82 percent of the way toward completing a $5.5 million capital campaign for the Faith Center's construction and for repairs to the existing church that include a new roof, installing new doors at the church entrance and sacristry, repairing and repointing brick work, replacing gutters and leaders, refinishing and restoring church pews, painting and restoring outdoor columns, and restoring and repairing wood on the church tower and front of the church.

The TPZ, which is the last town commission required to approve the expansion before construction can begin, may vote on it at its next meeting, which is scheduled at 7:30 p.m., July 27 in McKinley School.