[Vision2020] Latah Commission 'Shocked' By City's Action

Jerry Weitz gweitz at moscow.com
Tue Feb 6 20:06:10 PST 2007


Mark, Good Sam has over 200 other facilities and when they told me that the 
Moscow improvements cost 20% more, I would have no reason to question their 
figures.  Call Tim Schneider up and ask him yourself at the Moscow Good 
Sam.  JerryAt 06:53 PM 1/30/07, Mark Solomon wrote:
>Jerry,
>
>I'm not the one making these claims. If you've got information to share, 
>please do. With the facts.
>
>m.
>
>At 6:57 PM -0800 1/30/07, Jerry Weitz wrote:
>>Mark, Call the Good Sam folks up as I did.  Also, Mark did you call Jim 
>>Hill up to find out why James Toyota had no choice but to relocate? I 
>>stand behind what was told to me by both entities.  Jerry
>>At 10:55 PM 1/29/07, Mark Solomon wrote:
>>>Jerry,
>>>
>>>I find it hard to believe your oft-repeated claim that a city process 
>>>increased the price of a multi-million dollar construction project by 
>>>20%. Please support your claims with some real numbers so I can believe.
>>>
>>>best,
>>>
>>>Mark Solomon
>>>
>>>At 9:08 PM -0800 1/29/07, Jerry Weitz wrote:
>>>>No Bill, It was Chaney that made Randy Fife serve the order. Randy was 
>>>>following orders.  Randy Fife is a person of integrity. Another 
>>>>example,  Chaney's actions on unbundling the development process caused 
>>>>at least a 20% increase of building cost for Good Sam as our community 
>>>>now lacks space for those in need of long term care. Antigrowth and 
>>>>lack of respect for the UI really stinks and it hurts to see it happen 
>>>>for people who care.  Unfortuately, the bottom does not seem to be in 
>>>>sight.  Chaney must go.  Jerry
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>At 11:52 AM 1/20/07, Bill London wrote:
>>>>>I want to thank Aaron Ament and Bob Stout, the two council members who are
>>>>>clearly explaining that city attorney Randy Fife should never have issued
>>>>>that cease-and-desist order shutting down the ice rink.
>>>>>Fife made a mistake.  The Council was trying to mellow out this little 
>>>>>turf
>>>>>war thing with the county and Fife threw gasoline on the fire.
>>>>>I agree that Fife needs to go.Fife
>>>>>BL
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>>From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
>>>>>To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>>>>>Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2007 7:47 AM
>>>>>Subject: [Vision2020] Latah Commission 'Shocked' By City's Action
>>>>>
>>>>>>  >From today's (January 20, 2007) Lewiston Tribune -
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  ----------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Latah commission 'shocked' by city's action
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  By DAVID JOHNSON of the Tribune
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  MOSCOW -- Bottom line: The Moscow Rotary Veterans Memorial Pavilion ice
>>>>>rink
>>>>>>  at the Latah County Fairgrounds should remain open through the current
>>>>>>  skating season and probably beyond.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  It also appears the powers-that-be have joined ranks to ensure a 
>>>>>> permanent
>>>>>>  enclosed multipurpose building, which includes a bigger ice rink, 
>>>>>> will be
>>>>>>  built in the near future.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Those predictions prevailed Friday after miffed members of the Latah
>>>>>County
>>>>>>  Commission voted unanimously to appeal a Moscow cease-and-desist order
>>>>>that
>>>>>>  threatened to shut down the popular ice rink next week.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  "That's the first cease-and-desist order I've ever gotten," 
>>>>>> Commissioner
>>>>>>  Jack Nelson said, adding he was "shocked" with the city's action.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  The order came from City Attorney Randy Fife, apparently with Mayor 
>>>>>> Nancy
>>>>>>  Chaney's concurrence. "I think it's in keeping with enforcing the 
>>>>>> city's
>>>>>>  laws," she said earlier in the week, and she stood by the statement 
>>>>>> after
>>>>>>  the commission meeting.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  But two Moscow city councilors, Aaron Ament and Bob Stout, washed their
>>>>>>  hands of the tactic. Stout said he was "embarrassed" by the
>>>>>cease-and-desist
>>>>>>  order and Ament said the administrative action was a "slap in the 
>>>>>> face" to
>>>>>>  city council members and county officials.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  The rink is located on county-owned fairgrounds property within the 
>>>>>> Moscow
>>>>>>  city limits.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  The city order, issued last week, said the threatened shutdown was 
>>>>>> based
>>>>>on
>>>>>>  the county's failure to finish a parking lot paving project around 
>>>>>> the ice
>>>>>>  rink under a city special-use permit. Several people at the meeting 
>>>>>> said
>>>>>>  afterwards they couldn't believe city officials would actually 
>>>>>> close the
>>>>>>  rink, especially to all the children who use it, over an unfinished
>>>>>asphalt
>>>>>>  project. They said the situation smacked more of a power struggle 
>>>>>> between
>>>>>>  political entities.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Latah County Prosecutor William Thompson Jr., acting as the 
>>>>>> commission's
>>>>>>  legal council, said evidence shows the county had done much of the 
>>>>>> paving
>>>>>>  work and substantially complied with the special-use permit.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  But the bigger issue, Thompson suggested, revolves around a legal 
>>>>>> question
>>>>>  > whether the city has any authority over what happens with the ice 
>>>>> rink.
>>>>>The
>>>>>>  county, Thompson said, has never acquiesced to city authority. The
>>>>>>  commissioners agreed to provisions of the city special-use permit, he
>>>>>said,
>>>>>>  mostly as a good-neighbor gesture.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  The county appeal of the cease-and-desist order will go to the city's
>>>>>board
>>>>>>  of adjustment, Thompson said. The appeal should result in a stay of any
>>>>>>  enforcement action and the rink will remain open. If the board 
>>>>>> denies the
>>>>>>  appeal, the matter can then be appealed directly to the city 
>>>>>> council. The
>>>>>>  courts ultimately could get involved and that would buy even more time,
>>>>>>  Thompson said.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  That's good, said Tim Ewers of the Palouse Ice Rink Association (PIRA),
>>>>>>  because the rink is extremely popular and hundreds of people devoted to
>>>>>>  figure skating, hockey and open skating would be left without a 
>>>>>> facility
>>>>>>  should the city take enforcement action.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  In the meantime, the commissioners, PIRA representatives, members 
>>>>>> of the
>>>>>>  Latah County Fairground Board and apparently city representatives have
>>>>>>  apparently agreed to resume talks leading to construction of a 
>>>>>> permanent
>>>>>>  enclosed structure at the site.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Chaney said the city's cease-and-desist action served as a catalyst to
>>>>>bring
>>>>>>  all interested parties together to ultimately build what the 
>>>>>> majority of
>>>>>>  people want at the fairgrounds. But Stout and Ament said the same ends
>>>>>could
>>>>>>  have been reached through less drastic means.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  The meeting was attended by about 50 people, most of them ice rink 
>>>>>> users.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Mike Fredrickson, chairman of the fairgrounds board, said he and other
>>>>>>  members want to work with PIRA to develop a multi-purpose facility that
>>>>>>  meets the needs and wants of those who like ice-skating and others who
>>>>>could
>>>>>>  enjoy different activities under the same roof.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Steve Bush, spokesman for the Moscow Rotary Club that's supplied 
>>>>>> most of
>>>>>the
>>>>>>  financial backing for the ice rink, said it's time to keep all entities
>>>>>>  working together toward construction of a facility that meets the 
>>>>>> growing
>>>>>>  demands of a public hungry for ice time. He said a better building will
>>>>>>  easily attract more people and pay for itself.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  ----------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Seeya round town, Moscow.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Tom Hansen
>>>>>>  Moscow, Idaho
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  "Only by going too far can one possibly find out how far one can go."
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  - Jon Dyer
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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>>>>>>  =======================================================
>>>>>
>>>>>=======================================================
>>>>>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>>>>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>>>>>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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