Wednesday, May 16, 2012

For kids, zoning lesson is sweet & sour

Removing portable toilets from town entrance isn’t as easy as it seems

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By TONY EVANS
Express Staff Writer

A group of fifth-graders in Bellevue came up against private property rights while working on a class project to remove portable toilets from the south entrance of the town. Photo by Willy Cook

A group of elementary school students in Bellevue found out recently that improving the entrance to town isn't as easy as it looks.

Last fall, Bill Cantrell's fifth-grade class took on as a class project the task of removing portable toilets from next to their town's "Welcome to Bellevue" sign on state Highway 75, gaining the support of city leaders in the process.

"Your enthusiasm is why I enjoy being the mayor of Bellevue," said Mayor Chris Koch at a City Council meeting in November. "We need your help."

It turns out the city will also need the help of state officials to solve the problem, since the property on which the portable toilets sit belongs to Dave Patterson, the owner of Sweet's waste disposal, not the city. Underneath the portable toilets is a septic tank that has been used by Sweet's for many years.

To make matters worse, the "Welcome to Bellevue" sign was apparently erected without the permission of the landowner and is within an easement owned by the Wood River Valley Irrigation District No. 45. Not only will the sign likely have to be relocated, but finding a new home for it may not be easy.

Bellevue Planning Administrator Craig Eckles took the opportunity at a Thursday, May 10, council meeting to educate the students about the importance of zoning laws and land-use maps in deciding what goes where and when in and around the city of Bellevue. He explained that the city grew southward over the years, eventually surrounding Patterson's property.

"The zoning map is the law of the land today," Eckles said. "Sweet's has rights under state law."

It seemed to be more than the students had bargained for when undertaking their Beautify Bellevue campaign last year.

"We learned that with politics, you don't always get what you want," said several of the students at Thursday's meeting, adding that they would not give up on achieving a "win-win" conclusion for everyone involved.

However, finding a new location for the welcome sign could take some time. Eckles explained on Thursday that the city has no right-of-way property along state Highway 75 at the south end of town, and will have to apply to the Idaho Transportation Department for a permit to relocate the sign, presumably at some distance from the portable toilets.

Eckles reported in a staff memo that Patterson plans to conceal the portable toilets from the view of passersby by parking trailers in front of them, a move that could buy some time with a group of budding activists who are eager for action. Cantrell's students have drawn colorful photographs of alternative scenes welcoming people to Bellevue, which were presented to the City Council.

"You guys did an amazing job," Koch said. "You should come back as sixth-graders and mentor fifth-graders on how to continue the project."

In other Bellevue news:

( Following advice presented last month by Bellevue resident Lori Hansen, the City Council authorized increasing stop signs and warning signs around Bellevue Elementary School.

( Final plat was approved for Valley Center business park subdivision adjacent to Atkinsons' Market on state Highway 75.

Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com

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