The church came before the Zoning Board on Nov. 12 with its plans for the property, but the board did not make a decision. Board president Nick Antonicello said he received impact and environmental studies that evening and would like to read them over before voting on the application. "I cannot make a fair judgement tonight without reading it," he said.

A vote on the school expansion will be rescheduled to Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.

Queen of Peace High School could buy a small house on Legion Place, where John Tiedemann Inc. formerly operated a church restoration business, and turn it into offices and a wrestling practice area. Neighbors would rather it remain a house. Both the church and residents agree that the owner kept the property in poor condition.

The house itself would be used as a development office and an admissions office, according to Monsignor William Fadrowski, pastor of Queen of Peace High School. Currently, the resource center is being used as the development office. If Queen of Peace was allowed to use the building for its offices, each office would have a director and a secretary. The admissions office would leave space in the high school for its television studio, according to Fadrowski.

A building on the property behind the garage would be used as a facility for the wrestling program. "It would be both an educational and extra-curricular benefit to our students," said Fadrowski.

Because Queen of Peace wants to build a school facility, the burden does not fall on the developer to show evidence that the property will be made into a positive use. According to New Jersey case law, a school is an inherently positive use, according to George Davey, the attorney who represented Queen of Peace.

Still, the board could knock down the proposal based on negative aspects of the plan, aspects that were voiced by a number of residents in attendance at the meeting.

Legion Place resident Mary Currie joined her son and daughter-in-law, Russell and Julie Currie, to complain about conditions on the property in question as well as the adjacent school. "They look no different from the Tiedemann property. Their standards are as low as the Tiedemanns’ have been for decades," said Julie Currie, who frequently visits her mother-in-law.

Both Queen of Peace and area residents agreed that the current owners of the building, the Tiedemanns, kept the property in poor condition. "It is a derelict-type house that is in dire straits," said Davey.

Antonicello said the borough put pressure on the Tiedemann family, who used the property for a church restoration business. Recently, the Tiedemanns moved the business to the Belleville Turnpike.

"We spoke to him many times and then he moved out," said Antonicello. "We’re trying to clean the place up and we’re succeeding."

Julie Currie took photos of the Queen of Peace property, showing bottles and debris. Queen of Peace High School Principal Brother Larry Lavallee said it was not characteristic of the property as a whole.

Rutherford Place resident Robert McClintock pointed out that if the school purchases the property, $6,520 would fall off the tax rolls annually, as the church is tax-exempt. Generally, neighbors claim Queen of Peace has been a bad neighbor. "We’ve had constant problems with the kids, with the cars, with the noise at night," said area resident Virginia Donnelly.

Transforming the property to an office for Queen of Peace and a wrestling practice space would not change the number of people employed by the school. The parking situation would be the same, as teachers and athletes would use the adjacent Queen of Peace High School parking lot, according to Davey. There would also be a driveway on the property.

Langan Engineering tested the environmental condition of the property by conducting core tests in the ground. "As far as the environment, we are clean and clear," said Davey.