A retail plaza on Route 147 in Scotia will soon be the new home to the Christian Church.
Owner of the plaza, Sunil Modasra thanked the village board at Wednesday’s September board meeting for the special permit that will allow a religious organization to reside and operate in a retail area.
The church is currently located at Socha Plaza on Route 50, and following the board’s unanimous approval, will move to its new location next to Scotia-Glenville High School.
Modasra is praised for revitalizing the plaza and bringing in new business such as Dollar Tree and Frances Homecare, a durable medical equipment supplier.
The planning board OK’d the move, and I see no negative impact that the move would have. The Modasra family has invested a great deal of their time and money into rehabilitating the property, said trustee Armon Benny.
Pastor Matthew B. McIntosh told the board they plan to have weekend services, vacation bible school, mid-week bible study, homework clubs and a breakfast club ministry for children.
`Our people are very excited about this new location. Our first priority is to facilitate worship; our second is to provide service to our people and community,` said McIntosh.
Board trustees said the usage for the church does not pose any problems to the current traffic flow along Route 147.
Benny told the board the village is lucky to have families like the Modasras.
`It proves the old adage: If you build, and build it well, they will come,` said Benny. `Scotia is fortunate to have those who not only own businesses in the village but reside in the village as well.`
Also at the meeting, tribute was paid to the Scotia Fire Department for their role in the June 28 water rescue of a local man. The rescue occurred during the flooding of the Mohawk River near Lock 7. The department, along with four other county departments, saved a man whose boat went over a dam in the river. Scotia fire Chief Richard Kasco called it `the most dramatic rescue in year.`
`It took a lot of effort and skill to get this gentleman to safety. At any moment, anyone could have been killed, and yet we had a safe outcome,` said Kasco.
One of the firefighters on duty that day was Lieutenant David Briggs. Briggs received the official word of his promotion to captain at Wednesday’s meeting. Briggs was given a badge from Mayor Mike McLaughlin to acknowledge his accomplishments.
`We are very proud of our department, both the volunteers and the career firefighters who bravely serve our community,` said McLaughlin.“