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HAZE Temp: 40 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, November 22, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 28, 2002 Tall order for Rogue River church — a 60-foot cross By SANNE SPECHT for the Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — A little Catholic church is dreaming big dreams of a home of its own. And it wants a 60-foot-tall cross to guide the faithful to it. The City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to conditionally approve Our Lady of the River Catholic Mission’s plans for a new church to be built on a 2.5-acre parcel at 5875 Foothill Blvd. The new church will comprise two 6,000-square-foot metal structures to be built in two phases with the cross prominently featured. Among the council’s 17 conditions was a requirement that phase one be completed before phase two could begin. The council also granted a variance for the cross, which will be 20 feet over the city’s current sign restriction. The cross itself is 20 feet and will be affixed to a 40-foot precast concrete base. Ron Greiner, administrative council head for Our Lady of the River, said the cross will bring the church visibility in the community. "We’re going to be a new church. We’d like to have the cross work as a beacon so people can find us easily," Greiner said. "We want people to be able to see it from the (Interstate 5) freeway." Councilman John Bond spoke of his personal fondness for crosses and asked if the cross was going to be lighted at night. "I really think this is a neat idea. I hope they can see it from the freeway," Bond said. Greiner said there was no plans to light the cross at this time. There was no objection to the church by neighbors or local businesses during the public comment phase of the council meeting. City Planner Jeannell Wyntergreen said she had not received any negative comments in response to the letters of notification she sent out to local homeowners. Rogue River barber and soon-to-be church neighbor Cliff Bigham agreed he has no concerns about the incoming church. "It all depends on their landscaping and everything has been worked out with planning through the city," he said. "It’s not going to bother us at all. We see no problem with it." Our Lady of the River has been sharing space with Rogue Valley Community Church for 32 years. But as both memberships continue to grow, space and service schedules have made it increasingly difficult to accommodate two separate congregations. Since the community church owns the building, the Catholic congregation decided it would need to find a new home. Greiner said bids will go out to contractors in May 2003. Designed by Dilorento Architects, both construction phases of the new church will consist of a 6,000-square-foot metal shell partially covered with composite-material decorative wainscoting. Greiner said $300,000 of the $400,000 necessary to complete phase one of the project has been raised through cash assets, notes from the archdiocese in Portland and pledges from parishioners. Phase two is scheduled to begin in three to five years. Ironically, Greiner said, the church may go to only one Mass a week for its 125 regular members because of a shortage of priests. "But we’ll be able to have our Mass at a more popular time," said Greiner. "Before, we had to have it at 7 a.m. and people didn’t like to get up that early." Sanne Specht is a free-lance writer living in Rogue River. Reach her at [email protected]. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S