Near 100-year old church may make additions

Walhalla’s near 100-year old Catholic Church may add a meeting room and a replacement bathroom. The city Board of Zoning Appeals last night approved a special exception to the zoning law that permits St. Francis Catholic Church to make the additions to the back corner of the church fronting W. Mauldin Street. Property setback requirement is 50 feet. St. Francis gets a variance of 25 feet. The contractor, Tom Kriese of Greer, made a presentation to the board which included drawings of the planned work. The City Hall meeting room was crowded with people, but the only public comments came from a few neighbors who either approved the project or had questions about the potential for water runoff in the neighborhood. At the start of the hearing Francis Guldner, board chairman, announced that he has been a member of the church since 1960. Guldner participated and presided during the hearing. The board last night also gave Richard and Rebecca Burton a special exception to locate a double-wide mobile home at 515 Bulwinkle Drive.