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

[Mark Solomon]

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
>>>
>>>
>>>  =======================================================
>>>   List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>>   serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>>                 http://www.fsr.net
>>>            mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>  =======================================================
>>>
>>
>>=======================================================
>>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>                http://www.fsr.net
>>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>=======================================================