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| Sorry kids. There may be no festival. |
SDM makes noteworthy
observations regarding the moratorium and its impact on community events. I read this one this and
found it to be a potientially tragic. It is time for all members of our community to ask "where
do we want Palmetto Bay to go?" I think
the current council is overusing the term “bedroom community.” I believe we are an actively engaged, not a couch potato at home community. We need and should appreciate when community organizations hold public events. These events include your Art Shows (remember when one was held in Palmetto Bay by the Cultural Council?); Charity 10/5K run/walks; craft shows; youth concerts and plays; BINGO; community concerts and so many other examples.
Prior to becoming mayor, I was struck with the
spirituality in Palmetto Bay between (Then) Perrine Baptist Church (now Christ
Fellowship) and Old Cutler Presbyterian Church (OCPC). OCPC traditionally held an outstanding
Christmas play that the entire community was invited to participate, attend and
enjoy. OCPC still offers outstanding Christmas music and other events
throughout the year that fills the facility to overflow crowds (a/k/a many people who enjoy having events to attend). The play, one of the last, if not the last
was a live performance of “A Christmas Carol.” The OCPC event was a great
seasonal bookend to Perrine Baptist’s Easter Pageant, another extremely well
done event that my family and I looked forward to every year. Where else, so close to our home, could you
watch a live performance that featured Jesus riding into the production on a
live donkey. Events like these make communities
great places to live. They are seasonal
events and they are put on by the organizations at no cost to you, no
assessment to your tax dollars.
I have posted some photographs from past Fall Festivals held at Christ Fellowship. From my daughter riding a pony (is that
really highly offensive Henry?), to the Council participating in the
event, yes the initial council maintained relationships with the local Churches
and community organizations (CBOs). Why
shouldn’t Christ Fellowship have its Fall Festival? It is open to all. It is really the community’s Fall Festival sponsored
by Christ Fellowship.
Now another
traditional event may be brought down by what I say are intended consequences of
the Neighborhood Preservation and Compatibility (a.k.a. “Neighborhood
Protection”) ordinance: Christ Fellowship’s Fall Festival celebration.
Read SDM’s “PB:
NPO – No Fall Festival? Time to Protest” posted this same date, 8/24/2012,
and read (as well as follow the links to the actual video – to see the facts as
opposed to the council spin) how at the August
8, 2012 NPO workshop, Christ Fellowship Church’s Finance Director rose to
speak against the NPO:
Here’s
a quick look at just some of the operations that could be affected by the
ordinance, some specifics. (1:23:49) One, we may not be able to host our annual
Fall Festival. It’s a free event that we’ve done for the last 10 years and
invited the community. We were unable recently to pull a permit or at least
they came and asked about the permit; we were told we would have to wait to see
whether we were going to be able to pull it. So, right now I am not sure we’re
going to be able to do this.
SDM
urges readers to go to the tape and listen to Mayor Stanczyk’s questions and
the discussion with staff that followed the comments. The bottom line is that
Christ Fellowship holds its Fall Festival in October, which falls 
under
the ambit of the moratorium. (The moratorium,
as readers will recall, prohibits the village from issuing building permits on
non-residential properties in residential areas.)
In
the hyper-regulated Village of Palmetto Bay, one must pull a permit to erect
temporary tents if they exceed a certain size. In fact, there is even a
special application
for special events. (New Palmetto
Bay Motto: We Regulate Everything!) The permit application clearly
states:
Anyway, who
cares if Christ Fellowship Church can’t have some loud, overpopulated community
event? Isn’t this kind of noisy, smelly, religious…er, dusty non-residential
use just the kind of thing the
(Shelley Stanczyk, and Brian Pariser) see
as a threat to neighborhoods?
Personally I, Eugene Flinn, find the Fall Festival to be a great
community event. This is an event that should be nurtured and encouraged by the
village, not condemned and hindered through local government hyper regulation.
I agree with SDM’s suggestion of some civil disobedience: Christ Fellowship should put up the tents, hold a service
under them, and then start the festival. In other words, dare Palmetto Bay
to cite the church for using the tents for a religious purpose.
When
village police try to shut you down, link arms and pray for them. Maybe Mayor Stanczyk, Vice Mayor
Pariser and Councilwoman Lindsay will get the message when they see your
worshippers carted off to the hoosegow.
I am increasingly dismayed to see the direction that Shelley Stanczyk and Brian Pariser continue to mislead this village.
