Planning commission grants final approval for animal exhibit

The Rogers City planning commission authorized a special use application Monday for an animal exhibit at the Waters Edge Restaurant. The request was approved following much discussion and other requirements to address concerns for safety, compatibility of different species of animals, odor concerns, and city liability. Owner of the Waters Edge, Norm Arlt, met the requirement of providing a survey showing exact property lines, and had answers for the many questions from the commission members.

Mayor Beach Hall addressed Arlt saying the city?s insurance carrier requested Arlt show proof of liability coverage and that would take care of the city responsibility. To address the safety concerns, Arlt agreed to provide a double fencing system that would provide the proper five-foot setbacks, and a 10-foot high chain link fence with an interior safety barrier of single strand electric pulse fencing.

SEVERAL OF the commissioners visited Dr. Jay Schuiteman?s deer enclosure which houses 11 deer and were told safety is indeed an issue as the animals can become quite aggressive depending on the season. ?Any animal can become aggressive,? Arlt said. ?A dog can bite a kid ? I have 25 (deer, moose, elk) of them and they?ll come up and eat out of my hand?I can use an electric wire as a safety measure.?

Arlt agreed to conduct compatibility studies at his home before bringing any animals to the proposed enclosure. ?I?ll mix them at home to see which ones are compatible and what combination would work,? Arlt said. ?If I find the animals are not compatible I?ll just display only deer, then only elk or moose at a time,? Arlt said. Arlt also said he would take care of excavating around the deck on the lake side of the restaurant to make sure there was the required 10-foot distance between the ground and the top of the fence railing.

All agreed the few animals that would be enclosed would not create an odor problem, but Arlt promised he would make sure it was not a problem.

?If the whole project does not work out,? Arlt said, ?I?ll remove all the fences.? At one point during the discussion, Arlt said he could just put up a solid wood fence and that would take care of the safety issue, but he felt that would deny the public a chance to view the display and wouldn?t look as good as a chain link fence.

A LETTER from Third Street residents Ron and Hannah Dugan was read to the commission that reflected many of the same concerns already discussed. After all was said and done, chairman Del Conley called for a motion to resolve the issue, and in a surprise move, commission member Chuck Vogelheim made a motion to ?disapprove? the request. Commission member Milt Very seconded it after qualifying his action, saying it was the proper thing to do to allow discussion on the motion, but that he personally would vote against it. Then Very asked if it were proper to entertain another motion following a vote on the first one.<

P> The vote on the motion for disapproval of the request was ?no? for Very, Ray Zielinski, Hall, Conley, Al Meyer, and John Bruning; ?yes? for Owen Lamb and Vogelheim. Immediately following the vote Very made a motion to allow Arlt to construct a single 10-foot high chain link fence to include an interior single strand electric fence, with the five-foot setback on the 18-foot section on the east side, the 65 and 76-foot section on the south side, the 85-foot section on the west side and 215-foot section on the north side by the shelter area. If the project does not work out as expected, Arlt must remove the fencing.

As the roll was called, Lamb said, ?I really would like to see you put your money in your business instead of into this?I still feel like I don?t want it, I guess??no.? All the remaining members voted yes for the approval except Chuck Vogelheim.