St Michael’s Building Project

The St. Michael’s Building Project is presently in an ongoing development process. As recommendations are made and challenges arise, the design plans continue to be fluid to take those recommendations into consideration. Our design team is working diligently to come up with the best possible design for the parish, for the community, and for the preservation of the beauty and environment of Fort Rock Farm. We are excited at all the progress we have made thus far and are confident any challenges that arise can be overcome.

We intend to continue the due diligence process that has been moving forward since the beginning of our planning back in 2002. We are actively cooperating with town committees and weigh their recommendations heavily when determining the best course of action. The St. Michael’s Building Project Committee is dedicated to complying with regulatory requirements and will lawfully request exceptions to those areas we feel are acceptable to the goals of the project and integrity of Fort Rock Farm.

The project start and completion schedule remains the same. We hope to break ground with land grading and preparation in 2008 with further hopes to finish the project by St Michael Parish’s 150^th Anniversary in 2009.

As a dedicated and active Roman Catholic community, St. Michael’s has and will continue to play an integral role in supporting the greater Exeter community. With the 120,000 lbs of food distributed annually, financial assistance, health care assistance and physical and spiritual guidance that our St.Vincent de Paul center and parish as a whole provide to the needy of Exeter we have been there when called upon for nearly 150 years. We are excited to continue and grow this support on the Fort Rock Farm property.

Building Project Facts

Acreage Used for Project – 11 acres

Acreage Unused for Project – 42 acres

Total Property Acreage – 53 acres

Phase 1 Church (Worship Space, Gathering Hall)

·         Seating – 903

·         Parking – 286

·         Bell Tower to Top of Steeple – 93’

·         Average Height – approx. 53’

·         Church Footprint – 15,153 sq. ft.

·         Total Church Space – 33,586 sq. ft.

Parish Center (Parish Offices, Meeting Rooms, St Vincent de Paul)

·         Height – 35’

·         Parish Center Footprint – 9,276 sq. ft.

·         Total Parish Center Space – 26,135 sq. ft.

Rectory/Chapel

·         Present Fort Rock Farm House

Phase 2           Multipurpose Room

·         Total Space – 7,705 sq. ft.

The Truth About Our Project

As you may be aware, opposition to our project at Fort Rock Farm, spearheaded by a current tenant and unhappy abutters who do not wish to see a church built on that property has arisen. This opposition has led to some inaccurate statements being made about our project and we felt it was important that you know the truth about our plans.

Fort Rock Farm House – WILL BE PRESERVED

Fort Rock Barn – WILL BE PRESERVED

Historical Greenery – WILL BE PRESERVED

Northern Fields – WILL BE PRESERVED

Fort Rock Farm Stone Wall – WILL BE PRESERVED

Fiction: St Michael’s is planning to build a “sports complex” on the property.

Truth: St. Michael’s hopes to,  at some point in the future, build a multi-purpose hall that will primarily function as a parish hall but could also be used for sports activities.

Fiction: St. Michael’s is putting a school on the property.

Truth: St. Michael’s has no intention to put any type of school on the property.  Meeting space in the parish center will be used for religious education of our children.

Fiction: St Michael’s is tearing down existing building structures on the property.

Truth: St Michael’s is not only SAVING AND PRESERVING ALL EXISTING STRUCTURES but is also planning on structure saving renovations, in particular the barn which will have its foundation replaced to prevent it from collapsing. The barn is a center piece for the property which in part will be used to screen improvements.

Fiction: St. Michael’s is building on all 53 acres of the Fort Rock Farm property.

Truth: St Michael’s is only utilizing 11 acres of the property for the church campus; the remaining 42 acres will remain in its present state.

Fiction: The new church will create traffic and safety problems.

Truth: The new site will create no significant traffic impact. The most traffic will occur on the weekends when general traffic is at its lowest.

Fiction: The noise from passing trains will be disruptive to parishioners attending mass

Truth:  At St Michael’s current location we get both, the train horn noise, as well as loud traffic noise, town maintenance work and emergency response noise on a regular basis. Fort Rock Farm train noise is much less and overall traffic noise is nominal; a drastic improvement from St. Michael’s current location.

Fiction: St. Michael’s parish campus will look like a “mini-mall” and will impact now-scenic views.

Truth: It is in St. Michael’s best interest to maintain the beauty of the property and take that concern greatly when determining the direction of the project. Placement of buildings with proper grading, site selection, and landscaping will make the property attractive. Of particular importance is the preservation of the view scape for those approaching from the north on Newfields Road, which will be maintained. We know we can create a church site that will preserve the beauty of that land and while being sensitive to the ecosystem and we are dedicated to doing so.

Fiction: The building plans place structures unlawfully close to the abutter’s property to the south.

Truth:  The building plans will comply with the abutter setback requirement of 15 feet. The plan we will submit will place the Parish Center 40 feet from the property line. We have altered our plans several times in response to abutter concerns and will continue take all reasonable measures to augment existing scenery and minimize the impact on our new neighbors.

Fiction: The building plans place the structures within the 300 ft Shoreline Protection Ordinance setback requirement.

Truth: Under plans submitted to the ZBA all new structures will be set beyond the 300 ft setback requirement.

Fiction:  The proposed project drastically infringes on the environment destroying the field, marsh, and estuary habitats.  It will pollute the Squamscott River by runoff of salt, petrochemicals, and heated water.

Truth:  Being good stewards of God’s earth is an important tenant of Catholic teaching.  Such environmental devastation is not only in violation of federal, state, and local laws, it is in opposition to our faith. Proper site environmental due diligence will continue to be done to minimize any potential effects from our new home. We will do all we can to protect the environment and preserve nature. Our goal is to build the “greenest” church in the Seacoast and we are investigating green technologies and other conservation methods to fulfill this goal.

Fiction:  The new church destroys a local, natural treasure that needs to be protected for generations to come.

Truth:  Our parish campus will save this local natural treasure for generations to come.  St. Michael Parish has been in Exeter for 150 years and will likely be on the site for another 150 years.  In the words of the current land owners, the church will not only protect and enhance the natural beauty of Fort Rock Farm it will preserve and maintain its historic buildings and magnificent rock walls.  Saving Fort Rock Farm means far more than protecting a field, that is why the owners of the property approached the church in the first place.