BEAVERCREEK — An error made by the city in 2013 will put an ease on one local church.

In 2013, Aley United Methodist Church, otherwise known as Aley Church, located on Kemp Road expanded their parking lot and installed additional lighting along the south side of the property.

At the time of the city’s approval, the property line had been misjudged and the church proceeded with the installation of the lights and completed their parking lot project.

It wasn’t until a former city employee, reviewed and verified that the lights were actually installed on property owned by the city. The city possessed an easement on the south side of the property which borders the Aley Chapel Cemetery.

Because of this discovery, the church’s lights had been placed on city property by 1,800 square feet, or approximately five feet, the lights are located on the north side of the south side of the property. This error would cause the city to either maintain the lights or have the church move them.

To reconcile the situation and because the city had no further use of this portion of property, the city declared the easement as surplus and conveyed only that piece of land to the church, leaving them responsible for the maintenance and interest of the land and lights.

The transfer of the easement was done after confirming that the lights or parking lot did not encroach on any graves and discusses and approved at a recent council meeting. The property totaled approximately five feet in width along the northern edges of the property and eight feet along the eastern edge.

By Danielle Coots

For the News-Current

Danielle Coots is a freelance writer for Greene County News.