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Church hopeful of negotiation with public school board by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Thursday, June 9, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Parishioners and staff of a local Serbian Orthodox church are making it clear they are against surrendering all of their land to facilitate the development of a new Halton District School Board high school in the Dundas Street and Neyagawa Boulevard area. The Saints Peter and Paul Serbian Orthodox Parish of Oakville, which is located at 1039 Dundas St. W., sits on 3.8 hectares of land and serves more than 750 families. Father John Marjanac, who spoke on behalf of the church, said the congregation learned the school board was interested in the church's land several years ago and has been in legal talks with the board. The school board requires approximately 6.2 hectares for its proposed school and is currently negotiating with the Town to purchase 2.4 hectares of its North Park lands as well as talking with the church about its 3.8 hectare-property. Town staff said the general area for the school site was chosen because its proximity to the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. As well, a future community centre and library facility would create a campus of community activities, which are expected to mutually serve and benefit the high school student population and the general public. Marjanac said the church is hoping to reach a compromise where the board purchases some land from the church property and some from property owners in the surrounding area instead of taking all of the church's land. With these legal talks underway, Marjanac said he and the congregation were taken by surprise by recent coverage of a Town of Oakville Planning Council meeting in the Oakville Beaver, which appeared to cast a shadow on the church's future. The article cited an April 29 Town of Oakville Planning and Anka Andic, a member of one of the founding families who first bought the Saints Peter and Paul Serbian Orthodox Parish of Oakville property, with her grandchildren Emily Coombs, 7, and Lia Coombs, 4, who were baptized at the church. The school board and parish are currently in talks over options for a new high school being considered for the area. The church is against surrendering all 3.8 hectares of its property for the project. | photo by David Lea ­ Oakville Beaver Development Council report in which Town staff stated "the school board has indicated that they wish to proceed with the purchase of the 3.8 hectare parcel of land owned by the Serbian Church." This was news to Marjanac and the rest of the congregation, who believed land negotiations were in progress. They took it as a sign the school board would take the land whether the church wanted to sell or not. "This really scared us," said Marjanac. "The school board is the ultimate one that has the legal power to make this decision. If the school board did have this wish to take all the land, we'd be in trouble." Marjanac said the church would never willingly sell all its property, noting the school board could offer three times the market value and the church would still turn it down. He said the Town is aware of this stance. Fearing for their church, the congregation mobilized. A petition set up on change.org, which calls for a negotiated compromise to the situation, has received more than 2,500 supporters as of Tuesday (June 7). A physical petition, created for those without Internet access, has received nearly 1,000 signatures. Marjanac said the matter was taken to the highest level of the Serbian Orthodox Church's administration. The church's leader, Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, who is headquartered in Belgrade and whom Marjanac equated to the Pope, recently visited the Oakville church. He has since directed every Serbian Orthodox parish in Canada to sign a statement expressing concern about the Oakville church's future. Serbian media also became aware of the challenges facing the Oakville church and began reporting on it. see Parish on p.20 INJURED? I Can Help! YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY UNLESS I GET YOU MONEY My team of experienced lawyers can help you with: · Car accidents · Slip and Falls · Disability Claims (Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, CPP) · Wrongful Dismissal OFFICES IN OAKVILLE AND TORONTO For a free consultation call: Oakville: 905.842.2022 or Toronto: 416.351.9222 email: sspadafora@slspc.ca PLATINUM Sam Spadafora Injury and Employment Law