Growing Greek Church plans big Expansion

By Ryan Jockers
Staff Writer
Published January 29 2006

NORWALK -- Getting in St. George Greek Orthodox Church on a holiday can be tough. But it was not always that way.

When the church was founded in the 1930s, the small building it bought from a Lutheran church on Fort Point Street and occupied for three decades was enough to accommodate Norwalk's Greek residents.
But as the Greek community grew after World War II, the St. George membership bought 4 acres near Cranbury Park, in 1968, and had a church built in the Paleo-Christian design. The church has become a city landmark.

Since then, the city's post-war Greek immigrants have had children and their children have had children, and now St. George boasts a membership of 450 families, most of whom live in Norwalk. An additional 200 families worship on holidays.

"On Christmas, most people are outside the church," the Rev. Nikolaos Dassouras said.

On regular days, after the service, the congregation files into a room in an adjacent house that resembles a banquet hall to socialize. Again, there's usually a line out the door. Everyone squeezes in to watch the children perform plays they learn in the church's classes. "We're packed in like sardines to see our kids," said Andy Tsilfides, a member.

To accommodate the church's growth, St. George has proposed a 19,000-square-foot community center for its 238 West Rocks Road property, which is in a residential area zoned for 1-acre lots.

If approved, the church would need to raise about half of the projected $4.5 million cost to start construction. So far, it has raised about $300,000.

The building, to be named after a previous pastor, Germanos Stavropoulos, would include four classrooms, a gymnasium, small library, computer room and fellowship hall. While it would meet the church's needs, it has not been embraced by neighbors.

"The project is too big for a triple-A residence zone," said Alvin Miller, an 81-year-old retiree who lives across the street from St. George. He said the church should propose a smaller structure. "That would be a start," he said.

He and his neighbors have said in a public hearing and in letters to the Zoning Commission that the proposed building would be intrusive. The traffic will increase, and the proposed light poles are too tall, they said.

Neighbors who dislike St. George's annual festival, which has carnival rides and music, have restated their displeasure with the event in opposing the church's plan.

Church members said they are trying to appease the neighbors. Except for the rides and food, the annual carnival -- the church's top fundraiser -- would be moved inside the community center.

The number of parking spaces has been cut from 185 to 157 -- neighbors say it's too many, but church members say more spaces mean less street parking -- and the proposed light poles have been lowered. Also, a section of the parking lot will be topped with pavers, not pavement.

"We're working with consultants to make modifications," said Nick Triantafilidis, a church member and chairman of the expansion project committee. "But you can't satisfy 100 percent of the people."

Neighbors who don't like the festival have said the church keeps a container of stored items on the lawn. Church members said the community center would have a basement where those items would be moved.

Triantafilidis said the proposal is the result of several years' planning and meets the demands of a growing youth membership that participates in two national groups, Greek Orthodox Youth for America and Junior Orthodox Youth.

St. George has daily after-school classes to teach children the Greek language and culture, he said. Years ago, the service at St. George was predominantly Greek; now, half of it is spoken in the church's native language.

The after-school classes are held in two converted bedrooms in the adjacent house, which is on the property and would be demolished."As the service moves more toward English, we're trying to preserve the heritage," Triantafilidis said.

The Zoning Commission might vote on the plan Feb. 15.

 

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