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MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Several governing members of a Connecticut temple want to halt plans to construct new housing for priests and instead propose building a large community hall.

The four members, who make up a third of the Sri Satyanarayana Temple's 12-person executive committee, say that the current proposal to build apartments for four priests would require taking out a loan of hundreds of thousands of dollars and would create no revenue for the temple.

Building a community hall, they say, could better serve the temple's entire congregation and eventually pay for itself because it could be rented out for weddings, arangetrams and other special events.

Plans for the priests' quarters at Sri Satyanarayana have been in the works for several years, receiving temple approval around 2005.

Proponents of the project say it is late in the works and that it would provide needed housing for the priests, three of whom now share small on-site apartments and one of whom lives off the temple grounds.

Those criticizing the plan, however, question whether it is the best use of temple funds. They contend it would cheaper to purchase an existing home nearby.

There are conflicting estimates on how much it would cost to complete the apartment for the priests.

Sri Satyanarayana trustee member Sudhir Shah, who supports the project, said the limit is $750,000 and efforts would be made to keep spending below that amount. The dissenting members say that building the apartments could go up to $1 million.

The loan amount is also disputed. Shah said that the project would require a "very small" loan. But the opposing members say the loan could be for as much as $700,000 - an amount they fear could put the temple at risk.

"It's a huge loan and a lot of people are not thinking 20 or 30 years down the road," said executive committee member Abha Kataria. "I have kids and I want them to be able to go to the temple when they grow up."

Kataria also noted that the temple is simultaneously undertaking another large and expensive project, a nearly completed $700,000 parking lot renovation.

She and at least three others want to tap the brakes on the proposed priests' quarters and invite the temple's several-hundred, dues-paying members to have a say on which is a better plan - the current 7,000 square-foot housing project that will include a small community hall to accommodate Sunday school classes or a yet-to-be-devised plan to build a community hall for large functions.

The minority coalition, which consists of committee members Kataria, Divakar Shenoy and Janak Trivedi and committee co-vice president Reeta Gulati, are careful to avoid presenting their opposing views as argumentative and appear to want to generate as little controversy around the issue as possible.

They add that they simply want to inform community members of their views and put the construction question on the agenda for Sri Satyanarayana's upcoming temple-wide general body meeting tentatively slated for late April.

All four agree the priests should get housing, the only catch, they say, is where and how much resources should be devoted to supplying the new residences.

"If they [the community at large] want the priests' quarters, then that's okay," said Shenoy, but he and the others are betting that most people would prefer a community hall on the temple site and to purchase less expensive housing off site for the priests.

The temple's founder, however, said that the debate "is as old as the temple itself."

"The thing is, I don't want to look at it as either or," said A. V. Srinivasan, who founded the Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society - the entity that owns the temple - after visiting a similar Hindu temple in Pittsburgh in the 1970s.

Srinivasan said he supports the current proposal and feels it wouldn't be appropriate for Sri Satyanarayana to build a large community hall because all events there would be limited to those of a religious nature, limiting use for secular Indian Americans or those of other religions.

"Remember, India is a multi-religion [country]," he said. "This is a religious, spiritual center, and it serves a special need."
Srinivasan, an engineer by training, said he would even offer to help advise any community leaders who are serious about building a community hall for the state's 40,000 Indian Americans.

Shah also said that he felt talk of building a community hall is premature.

"In my opinion, they are not ready for the community center. We don't have the space," said Shah, noting that the temple would need to purchase additional land and acquire additional access to such a center.

Currently, the temple is selecting contractors to construct the housing for the priests, he said, pointing out how far along the project is.

"This is a project going on for four or five years," he added. "I don't know where this community center stuff is coming from."

Faquir Jain, the president of the temple's executive committee, declined to comment for this story.

The four executive committee members questioning the current housing proposal for the priests have set up an e-mail account, communityhall_cvhts@yahoo.com [2], to further a discussion about the community hall idea.

They say they fear that if the priests' quarters are built, there would be no later opportunity to construct a large community hall at the temple because of soil conditions, the sloping landscape and zoning laws.

"This is just the last opportunity that they have. After this, they won't have any construction space," said Gulati.

SEE ALSO:
"NH Temple Faces Eviction [3]," Jan. 14, 2008

Source: INDIAnewEngland.com [4]

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