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<DIV><FONT size=4>The following LTTE appeared in the 02/04/05 issue of the
<EM>Daily News</EM>.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>
<H2>NSA failed with zoning, not Moscow</H2><BR>
<ADDRESS></ADDRESS><BR>
<P>
<P>I say horse feathers to Murf Raquet's illogical reasoning and poorly focused
arguments in his Daily News editorial (Opinion, Feb. 1). The city of Moscow does
review zoning ordinance compliance prior to granting zoning certificates. New
Saint Andrews College officials apparently failed to ask for a review and,
consequently, did not receive a zoning compliance certificate. City statutes are
clear the burden to secure required permits (including the specifically named
zoning certification) rests with the applicant. Further, city officials are
statutorily exempt from culpability due to the failure of applicants to secure
required permits.
<P>A more apropos question from Raquet might have been: How is it that NSA
officials failed to have city officials perform a zoning compliance review? NSA
has the services of an attorney, presumably a mortgage company or a bank, and
real estate brokers. Did all these professionals fail to introduce this very
important issue to NSA administrators? It is difficult, impossible actually, to
imagine that no one involved in the sale, financing, or legal aspects of the
transaction considered the implications of zoning codes in our central business
district. Of course, there is another possibility.
<P>NSA administrators and Board of Trustees members may have believed that since
abiding by city zoning codes would prevent their use of a highly desirable
property, they preferred to ignore them. Rather than risk a zoning review that
they could not pass, they passed on having a zoning review.
<P>"Nice neighbors," Raquet, don't ignore zoning codes and justify their own
failures by claiming to be victims of malicious former church members. Wise
editorial writers check their facts before unfairly criticizing city officials
and defending zoning code violators.
<P>Rose Huskey, Moscow </FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>