Staff

Writer

Fayette

County commissioners are still trying to decide

what to do about Paul Rivers' pole barn.

Rivers

built the barn recently on his 175-acre tract

that has been part of his family farm for

generations, but since the last time he checked

to make sure such a structure was allowed, the

county has rewritten its ordinances, and now

Rivers will have to get the property rezoned if

he wants to keep the barn.

He

never asked to have the land rezoned to R-70, a

classification that allows subdivisions, from its

previous A-R classification, the one used for

farms, Rivers told commissioners last week. But

the county in 1973 conducted a mass rezoning of

thousands of acres, including the Rivers farm.

Until

recently, the R-70 classification allowed for

building of farm outbuildings, and that's what

Rivers was told two years ago when he inquired.

But he didn't get around to building the pole

barn until recently, and commissioners have since

changed the rules.

Commissioners

in recent weeks have twice discussed the

possibility of waiving Rivers' $350 rezoning

application fee without making a decision.

"This

is farm land... it should be zoned

accordingly," said commission Chairman

Harold Bost before making a motion that the

county initiate action to change the land's

zoning back to A-R. The motion died for lack of a

second.

"I

think we're setting an extremely dangerous

precedent," said Commissioner Linda Wells.

"The rezoning [in 1973] was legally

advertised, and they had two public

hearings." If Rivers' family didn't want the

land rezoned, they should have spoken up, she

said.

"I

just want it to be zoned correctly for what it's

used for now," Rivers told the

commissioners. "Under R-70 our whole farming

operation is illegal. I feel like we were wrongly

done."

Commissioner

Greg Dunn said he wants to approve the fee

waiver, but also wants to make sure it's legal to

do so and won't set a precedent that will force

more fee waivers. He asked that the matter be

tabled until the commissioners' next meeting,

June 24.

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