HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-25-14 Zakovi Public Comment from Theresa Barry Epps, page 1&2,From:Teri Epps
To:Agenda
Subject:Letter to the Mayor of Bozeman and the City Comission
Date:Friday, August 22, 2014 1:52:30 PM
Attachments:The livelihood of Bozeman sculptor Zak Zakovi is being threatened by the Bozeman Planning Department in a
demand that seventeen sculptures.docx
Dear Sirs and Madame,
I respectfully submit, attached herein, the following letter in support of a review ofPlanning and Zoning Department decisions regarding local sculptor and longtimecitizen Zak Zakovi.I will appreciate your thoughtful consideration of my letter. I have also sent it to theBozeman Chronicle. If you have any questions about my statements, I will be happy to speak with you.
Thank you,Theresa Barry Epps522-3921
The livelihood of Bozeman sculptor Zak Zakovi is being threatened by the Bozeman Planning Department in a demand that seventeen sculptures, some weighing over a ton, be moved from his outdoor gallery, which has been on his Plum St. lot since 1997. I hope our city commissioners will get involved in Mr. Zakovi’s case and review the facts. Mr. Zakovi built his shop on the Plum Ave. lot in 1976. Years ago, Mr Zakovi was granted permission to build a foundry on the land. The area was later zoned residential. Now my question to the City Commission and the Planning and Zoning Department is this: if ugly and obnoxious signs like the Lewis and Clerk Motel and the Cats Paw, because of their prior existence in Bozeman, were “grandfathered in” when the sign ordinances were created, why isn’t Mr. Zakovi’s art gallery entitled to be grandfathered in as well? My guess is the complaining neighbor moved in well after 1976. We hear that phrase “government overreach” all too often these days when government–haters lack valid argument or precedent for their opinions. However, there are cases in which the phrase rings true. I think Mr. Zakovi’s case is one such instance. In my own experience, our Planning Department has failed to act in many instances or has acted in haste without knowledge or consideration of outcomes, some of which concern public health and safety. If the City of Bozeman fails to be fair to Mr. Zakovi, I will chip in for a lawyer for him (and I hope others will, too). If Mike Delaney can get three million dollars because government interfered with his business pursuits, surely Mr. Zakovi has a case.