Sewickley Heights Mayor: Borough Wants To Stop Commercial Events At Historic Farm, Not Bible Study

Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter

SEWICKLEY HEIGHTS (KDKA) -- The Borough of Sewickley Heights is now speaking out against allegations that it is trying to shut down Bible study and other religious activities at Dundee Farm, property owned by Theresa and Scott Fetterolf.

"In farm parlance, that's pure hogwash," Mayor John Oliver told KDKA's Jon Delano on Friday.

The Fetterolfs, through their counsel Randall Wenger and Jeremy Samek of the Independence Law Center in Harrisburg, earlier filed a federal lawsuit against the Borough.

But Oliver says Sewickley Heights is a religious community.

Delano: "If the Fetterolfs wanted to hold a Bible study this weekend, they'd be free to do so?"
Oliver: "Absolutely. It happens all the time."

Yet in the Borough's cease and desist order against the Fetterolfs, Bible study was specifically noted, along with other religious activities, including fundraising for churches and religious groups.

Delano: "Could they do that kind of charitable activity?"
Oliver: "Yes, they can. In fact, that happens as well."

So what's the problem?

"The primary concern that we as residents of the borough feel is the size of these activities," Oliver said.

Turns out, says the mayor, the big concern is with mostly non-religious events like renting out Dundee Farm as a wedding site.

"The events that we have a problem with are again the large scale commercial events, the weddings that they talk about. They are what I call contract weddings," Oliver said.

With lots of people.

"Eight hundred over a period of a month," he said.

KDKA talked to residents in Sewickley Heights who say that some of the Fetterolf events are very public events involving hundreds of people and hundreds of cars.

And some of those people walk or drive onto those properties of neighbors, and that, say the neighbors, poses a security risk.

But the mayor says he'd like to see this worked out in a neighborly way -- outside court -- but so far that hasn't happened.