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

[Jerry Weitz]

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.
>>>                http://www.fsr.net
>>>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>=======================================================