[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
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> =======================================================
>>>>>> 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
>>>>>=======================================================
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