St. Pat's shut down by Argiro
Published on November 26th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Building Inspector Gene Argiro closed down St. Patrick's Church last Tuesday for eliminating two exit ways and removing a handicapped access ramp.
While the church has since appealed the cease and desist orders and reopened the building, Argiro still considers the church unsafe for occupancy.
"In my opinion, the church isn't safe right now. What I did is send them a letter saying they couldn't use the upstairs or downstairs unless they restored the exits they removed there," said Argiro.
"It's kind of appalling that they're not concerned with the safety of the people who go to church. They just want to build a new building. I don't understand it," added Argiro, who will not issue a building permit for the church's renovation until the issue is resolved.
Also citing the church for the removal of its handicapped access, Argiro believes the ramp's demolition prohibits disabled churchgoers from attending wedding and funerals as well as regular mass ceremonies.
"They removed the handicapped access and in doing so, they said they were going to hold services in the school at 10:30 on Sunday for people in wheelchairs...Now [disabled patrons] can't attend the mass of their choice and based on my interpretation, they can't do that," explained Argiro.
While the church's pastor, the Rev. Bill Schmidt was unavailable for comment and a spokesperson for the Boston Archdiocese did not return phone calls, an architect hired to oversee renovations to St. Pat's church and religious offices disputed Argiro's interpretation that the exit doors were inadequate.
Sending a letter to Argiro on Nov. 13, five days before the building inspector shut the church down, Angelo Petrozzelli, the President of Haverhill's Design Partnership Architects, Inc., wrote that, "Temporarily, we can shut two exit ways, one at the upper church on the left side and one at the lower church on the left side and still far exceed the egress requirements."
Petrozzelli also addressed the removal of the handicapped ramp and cited that a wheel chair lift at the lower church and the holding of separate services for the disabled at Sexton School Hall as adequate alternatives.
"Since we have removed the ramp, Father has held services at Sexton School Hall...Also the lower church is accessible by means of a lift. Please consider that we have met the requirements for the disabled at two locations," wrote Petrozzelli.
However, Argiro still contends that while the exits meet the necessary width requirements, the church does not have a required second exit door that can handle half of the church's 600 person occupant load.
"I'm sure you will agree that you do not comply with this section of the code when you take into consideration the fact that the door in question has been eliminated from the egress system," Argiro wrote in a second letter to Petrozzelli.
Argiro also stood by his interpretation that the handicapped access ramp must be reinstalled.
"They want to remove the ramp for the entire renovation project and I don't think that's right...I know for a fact that there's a gentleman who goes to the 4 p.m. mass every week and now he can't go. If there's a wedding or funeral and someone in a wheelchair wants to go, they can't attend either. My interpretation of the law is that you have to give everybody the same opportunity and the same treatment," Argiro remarked.
Saying that the closure of the church looks bad for all parties involved, Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello hoped that the issue will be quickly resolved.
"I feel lousy about it...It looks bad for the town; it looks bad for the church; it looks bad for the whole community to shut down any church. These things should really be ironed out ahead of time," Ciccarello commented.
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