Weird. Really Weird. Kinda Spooky, Too, If You Ask Me.

Have you ever wondered where the DPW street sweeper dumps its contents when it is full or done for the evening?  Neither have I.  I never had to wonder, much like you, because the thought never crossed my mind.  But years ago, I happened to see the sweeper enter the vacant lot halfway down the hill of East Court Street and exit a few minutes later.  In fact, DPW dumps all sorts of things in that lot, including snow, so I assumed that the city owned the property, even if it was an odd location for city property.  It seemed like a strange location for DPW to be dumping anything, it being so far removed from other DPW facilities, but I never gave it much thought.  That is, until last week.

While the NO TRESSPASSING signs at the entrance to the lot have been there for a long time, two signs appeared recently that caught my eye.  The poorly worded signs (who would want to get permission to trespass, if that's even possible?) have the nearby enormous church's name at the bottom.  So, I says to myself, who owns the property, the city or the church? 

According to the map available with online tax records, the church on East Allen Street owns the lot where our city dumps street sweepings and other material.  That lot that DPW uses regularly is part of two properties that extend from Allen Street down the hill, behind the church and its rectory.  Much of the lot, where DPW does its dumping, is out of sight from the street.

How is this even possible? 

What kind of agreement for use of the lot does the city have with the church, do you suppose?  Is it written?  Was there a handshake inside the confessional years ago?  Why did the 2 signs appear now?  Does the church charge the city for use of the lot?  Whatever happened to the concept of separation of church and state?  What if the church were full of Satan worshipers?  Does anyone care?