[Vision2020] FW: Moscow Ice Rink

[Tom Ivie]

I am sure that the first inclination is to be upset with the city because they are the enforcer.  Take a step back and analyze the situation though.  The rink folks are caught in the middle for sure.  The city has to enforce the violated SUP.  The conditions of the SUP were agreed to by both the city and county.  It is up to the county to comply with those conditions. The county knew that non-compliance means violating the SUP and what the consequences of that is. The county has known for some time now that the city would have to do this and they should have been doing something, anything (setup a meeting, etc.) to try and rectify the situation.  unfortunately, it is the ice rink (a third party) that will feel any reprocussions from the situation.  I believe it is a bump in the road, though, and not the demise of the ice rink.  It looks like the city is trying to move forward and work with the county to resolve the situation as soon as possible.  This is evident by the city
 setting up a meeting with the county commissioners on the matter.  I am sure there are a whole lot of "not happy" ice rink users right now and they have good reason to be upset.  

Chris Storhok <cstorhok at co.fairbanks.ak.us> wrote: 
Visionaries,
My question to all of you is how in the heck does this happen:
>
>
> BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Moscow issues cease-and-desist order for ice
rink
> County has until Jan. 25 to reach agreement on use permit
>
> Staff report
>
> Wednesday, January 17, 2007 - Page Updated at 05:41:27 PM
>
> The city of Moscow has issued a cease-and-desist order for the Moscow
> Rotary Veteran's Memorial Pavilion ice rink at the Latah County
> Fairgrounds.
>
> A letter signed by City Attorney Randy Fife outlining the order was
> presented to county commissioners during their Wednesday meeting.
>
> The ice rink will be forced to close Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. unless county
> commissioners can reach an agreement with the city. Commissioners have
> scheduled a public meeting for 2:30 p.m. Friday to discuss the
situation.
>
> The city recently notified Latah County it was in violation of its
special
> use permit to operate the ice rink and the Latah County Fairgrounds
because
> it had not defined its parking area around the facility and failed to
pave
> the rink's parking lot by the specified date.
>
> The ice rink operates under a special use permit in the R3, or duplex
zone.
>
> The county had until Sept. 30 to complete the paving project under
> stipulations of the special use permit it signed in October 2005.
>
> The county has sought permanent status for the fairgrounds for years.
Every
> two to five years it must reapply for a special use permit to keep the
> grounds open.
>
> The county has put down more gravel in the parking lot and plans to
install
> parking bumpers to show the city it is serious about meeting the
special
> use permit requirements.
>
> Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said Fife signed the cease-and-desist order
> Wednesday afternoon.
>
> "I think it's in keeping with enforcing the city's laws. It did not
slam
> the door for possibilities of the ice rink," she said. "This is a
wake-up
> call and I hope for the best."
>
> Chaney said the previous warnings had not resulted in compliance by
the
> county.
>
> "I am hopeful that a workable, mutually agreeable solution may be the
end
> result," she said.
>
> The City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday to try to organize a meeting with
Latah
> County and Palouse Ice Rink Association officials to work toward a
> solution.
>
> Chaney said the meeting is still being planned, but a time has not
been
> set.
>
> County commissioners Jack Nelson and Tom Stroschein declined comment
on
the
> matter Wednesday evening. Both said they hadn't had a chance to read
> through the cease-and-desist order.
>
>
Chris S.
N.P. AK




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