Document text
County, Applegate church reach agreement Fellowship will fix problems; county won't go to court By DANI DODGE Jackson County agreed Friday not to prosecute the Applegate Christian Fellowship Church for code violations after the fellowship admitted there are issues with its property and developed a timetable to deal with them. "If they say they'll do the corrections and not fight us ... then there's no reason for prosecution," said Doug McGeary, deputy county counsel. "Instead of pursuing defenses, they are saying we will do what you want." Because of the agreement, a public hearing on the flood plain review scheduled for Monday was canceled. The Applegate Valley Community Forum - which has expressed concerns about the church - will hold a meeting to discuss the situation at 6 p.m. Monday at Ruch Elementary School. One forum member was upset with the development, calling it "just another delaying tactic." Yet, another member was pleased. John Hassen, an attorney representing the Applegate church, said he expects the agreement to resolve the issues, not prolong them. "I think it's good for everyone: the church, the neighbors, and the county," Hassen said. "We've addressed the issues that need to be addressed. We have a team of consultants who will work with the church and we have deadlines to meet." He said he expects to get a "clean bill of health" from the county through the process. "It will certainly satisfy the county," he said. "And we're hopeful it will satisfy the neighbors as well." The Ruch church has come under scrutiny recently because a number of its structures were built without permits, and a bus barn was built partially on a neighbor's property. Neighbors also are concerned about traffic the church generates as an estimated 4,000 people worship there every Sunday. Environmentalists raised concerns about possible encroachments onto the flood plain without permission. After finding problems at the church, a state audit in December chided county officials for sloppy record-keeping and problems at the church including a building used for offices that had a permit only for storage and bridges built without plans. Jack Duggan, the chair of the community forum, said the hearing shouldn't have been canceled. "From the county's standpoint, it's reasonable, but from the community's standpoint the result is once again nothing will change for a longer period of time," he said. But Dolores Lisman, another member of the forum, saw it differently. She was excited that the church has hired a new attorney from Portland to work with the local firm and believes that a more extensive review will help everyone. "Some of us were feeling disappointed, but now I feel energized," she said. "It has moved to a higher professional level. It will straighten out the problems in one form or another." County Administrator Sue Slack said that by coming to an agreement, the county and fellowship have avoided protracted court battles. "ACF is acknowledging the problems and working with us to correct them," she said. "That kind of cooperation is always preferable to an adversarial relationship that could drag us through the courts for years." McGeary said the county is allowing the church to use the noncompliant structures - such as the bus barn and bridges - while the problems are resolved. "What's the point of not letting them use it, except to be punitive?" he said. "There's nothing dangerous with the buildings ... and the bridges are only a problem if there's a flood." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.