The Walnut Hill Church may use the theater on the town-owned Schlumberger site.
Still ambivalent about religious use of the Ridgefield Playhouse, an arts facility created through a carefully nurtured public-private partnership, the selectmen decided last week to focus solely on the Schlumberger Theater as a possible site for Walnut Hill Community Church services.
Both facilities are town-owned, but the playhouse was made into a successful performing arts center after extensive renovations financed by private donors.
“I have a problem with worship in the playhouse — worship of any faith,” said Selectwoman Barbara Manners, who years ago as a private citizen had championed the playhouse and solicited donations to refurbish the old high school’s auditorium as a performing arts center.
“There are people who have told me they would never had donated to the playhouse” knowing it would be used for worship, Ms. Manners told the selectmen.
And, she said, if she’d believed the playhouse would become a worship space she wouldn’t have spent “years of my life working on it.”
The Schlumberger Theater, in contrast, was purchased by taxpayers with the goal of limiting future development of the 45-acre research property, and public discussion of the idea that parts of it might be sold off for a variety of possible uses — offices, housing development, art storage.
Schlumberger is also now the location preferred by Walnut Hill church leaders, who had initially looked into the playhouse as a site for a temporary facility they can use to see if there’s enough support to justify a more permanent church in Ridgefield.
“Over the past few months as we’ve looked at different spots in Ridgefield, Schlumberger Theater just seemed to be perfect for us,” Adam DePasquale, one of Walnut Hill’s ministers, told The Press last week.
Walnut Hill has congregations that meet in Waterbury, Seymour, Litchfield and Derby, but the main church is in Bethel — where many Ridgefielders attend services.
“We have about 300 Ridgefielders who come to the church,” said Pastor DePasquale, who grew up in Ridgefield and is heading the church’s effort to open here.
“We feel this could draw also from some of our New York congregants, Wilton, Redding, but primarily a Ridgefield location,” he said.
The selectmen took no vote last Wednesday, but reached a consensus to push ahead with the Schlumberger Theater, while backing off the idea of using the playhouse.
Walnut Hill was on the selectmen’s agenda last week because First Selectman Rudy Marconi wanted the board to discuss renewing efforts to work out the church’s use of the playhouse space, as a back-up in case the Schlumberger Theater couldn’t be ready in time for the church’s desired September opening.
Earlier this year the church had worked out an agreement with the private board of directors that operates the playhouse to rent the facility during the fall for $500 a Sunday.
Because the playhouse has a $1-a-year lease from the town, the matter came before the selectmen on it’s way the Planning and Zoning Commission for a revision of its special permit under zoning.
In March the selectmen voted 4-to-1 to seek a temporary revision to the playhouse’s permit to allow religious services there for four months, Sept. 1 to Dec. 31.
Ms. Manners had opposed that plan, saying the religious use would violate the terms of the lease in which the town grants the playhouse board a $1-a-year rental for the purpose of having artistic performances — concerts, plays, dance recitals — in the space.
Last Wednesday Mr. Marconi told the board that town attorney Dave Groggins had researched the issue and concluded that Ms. Manners — who’d negotiated the lease — was right.
Since the March vote it had been clarified that any amendment to the playhouse’s special permit, allowing a religious use, could not be given a limited duration — once zoning allows a use to be established at a site, it is grandfathered as legal there.
The question before the selectmen last week was whether they wanted to consider reworking a clause of the lease, and having the zoning permit changed, so the playhouse would be available as a back-up for the church, should the Schlumberger Theater site not work out.
A long discussion showed the board had mixed feelings.
Mr. Marconi and Selectwoman Di Masters said they had no problem with the church using the playhouse.
“When St. Elizabeth Seton was being built, they used Ridgebury School for their Sunday School,” Mr. Marconi said.
But Maureen Kozlark and Andy Bodner seemed to share Ms. Manners’ discomfort, given the attorney’s ruling.
“I think it’s clear we want to confine it to pursuing the Schlumberger Theater,” Ms. Kozlark said.
The problem with the Schlumberger site — which prompted Mr. Marconi look into the playhouse as a potential back-up — is electricity.
In pursuit of the plan to sell off much of the property, the most of Schlumberger’s old office and research buildings will be demolished. Town Engineer Charles Fisher told Mr. Marconi that electrical service — which is routed through various buildings to be demolished — might not be re-established at the theater in time for church on a Sept. 1.
At least, not without considerable expense.
“We’ve made initial contact with NYCONN Electric to study the electrical configuration of the Schlumberger property, specifically the Philip Johnson building and the adjoining auditorium. It appears an initial cost just to analyze the facility is approximately $3,000-plus,” Mr. Marconi said this week.
“It’s beginning to sound as if we’re better off just digging a trench and bringing new service in.”
Mr. Marconi said he’d follow the board’s inclinations and push full speed ahead with the Schlumberger Theater site, while dropping efforts to pursue the playhouse as a back-up.
“Would the board be willing to reconvene a meeting if we run into a brick wall?” he asked.
The board, including Ms. Manners, agreed they would.
As the selectmen’s discussion ended, Pastor DePasquale said, “I want to thank you and thank the town for the amount of time you’ve spent on this issue.”
“I see a town that’s very warm and welcoming to religion, and to debate,” he said. “And I want to thank you.”