By Brian Denitzio
News Editor

The parish council of Blessed Mother Teresa Parish will utilize a community survey to aid them in making a recommendation regarding the re-use of the site of St. William Parish. At a meeting last Thursday, the council voted unanimously in favor of taking a survey of parishioners after Sunday masses for three weeks beginning this past Sunday. The move came a week after the second public meeting regarding re-use of the site during which Father Paul Soper, pastor of Blessed Mother Teresa parish, came under fire by the community for not being proactive enough in determining what should fill the block of Dorchester Ave. real estate.

At last week's meeting, Soper acknowledged those concerns and stated that the process of selecting a future use of the site could be extended to allow for greater input from the community. He added that though their voice should be heard, the community has not rallied behind any single idea.

"There has not emerged an overwhelming consensus," said Soper.

Soper had set mid-August as a deadline for the submission of proposals at the public meeting on July 12, but said last week that the timeline could be amended.

"I think it's not feasible to push anything back until the spring, but maybe a month or six weeks," said Soper.

There was little discussion of specific ideas regarding the re-use of the site, with much of the debate centered on whether or not the parish had to sell the building immediately or could hold onto the property. The conversation gradually meandered into a summary of the parish's financial standing.

Soper explained that an agreement to lease a building at 790 Columbia Road would serve only to close a gap in the parish's operating budget and not provide any additional revenue. While that building has remained vacant, the church accrued approximately $280,000 in debt, according to Soper. Paying down that debt and ensuring the future stability of the church are the two primary goals of the sale of the property.

Members of the council repeatedly questioned what kind of assurances the parish had that money from the sale of the property would remain with the parish. Soper stated that the parish had "the usual assurances," and nothing more.

The council also reviewed a report prepared for the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation examining the possibility of building an assisted living facility on the site. The desire for the site to be used for assisted living has been expressed frequently during public meetings regarding the site, and an on-line poll conducted by the Dorchester Reporter also revealed it to be a popular option. However the report, presented by Don Walsh, a member of the parish council and treasurer for the DBEDC, indicated that an assisted living facility on the site would be a difficult proposition.

"It doesn't say you can't do assisted living, it's just very tough," said Walsh.

The report, prepared for DBEDC by the CenterPoint Foundation, suggested that DBEDC only pursue an assisted living facility on the site if three specific criteria can be met. One states that the property must be purchased from Blessed Mother Teresa for a price of at most $500,000. The property has been valued at over six times that amount.

The report also indicated that if an assisted living facility were to be built on the site, it would likely generate 25 to 30 new jobs for residents in the area.

After hearing the proposal, the council took up discussion of a community survey, and quickly moved for a vote on the matter.

Soper said that response to the survey at masses this past Sunday was strong, and that the survey will be distributed this Sunday and the next. In addition, two local civic associations&emdash;the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association and the McCormack Civic Association&emdash;have e-mailed the survey to their members. Members of the community with suggestions for the site are encouraged to call the rectory at 617-436-2190 to speak with Soper or Sr. Linda, or e-mail info@motherteresadorchester.org by Aug. 9. The next meeting of the parish council is scheduled for Aug. 10.