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Church leaders ask county to revisit median design after new median blocks Prince of Peace entrance
Summary
Church leaders, parish council members and the pastor told the council the recently installed median on Hand Avenue has removed a western entrance to Prince of Peace Catholic Church, creating access and safety hardships for seniors and food pantry clients and asked the council to consider design adjustments.
Leaders of Prince of Peace Catholic Church told the county council on April 21 that a newly installed median on Hand Avenue has made access to the church's west entrance difficult and in some cases unsafe for elderly parishioners and clients of the church's food pantry.
"Our church serves over 2,000 registered families...70% of my parish members are seniors," Pastor Justin Vaku said, describing daily services, counseling, and many senior attendees. He described longer and riskier routes for elderly members who now must detour to reach the campus and asked the council to revisit the median design.
Betty White, a parish council member, said the church's food pantry served more than 10,800 families last year and that changes to access could interfere with emergency responders reaching people in need. John Molivani, facilities committee chairman, described earlier communication with the county engineer and said staff told him appeal routes were limited.
Speakers requested options such as removing or adjusting the median, adding a signal, or providing additional entrances to restore safe, efficient access for attendees and emergency vehicles. Staff said they would follow up with the communications and engineering teams and suggested the council could revisit the specific design.
No formal action was taken at the meeting on this item; church representatives asked for continued attention during design and construction staging.
