{"id":10189,"date":"2020-07-01T21:16:22","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T02:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/rv-ministries-permit-vetoed-by-mayor-allender\/"},"modified":"2020-07-01T21:16:22","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T02:16:22","slug":"rv-ministries-permit-vetoed-by-mayor-allender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/rv-ministries-permit-vetoed-by-mayor-allender\/","title":{"rendered":"RV Ministries Permit vetoed by Mayor Allender"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cA father and his daughter enjoy biscuits and gravy on a Sunday morning at RV Ministries new building at 112 East North St.\u201d Photo credit Cathie Harris<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

RAPID CITY \u2013 Mayor Steve Allender has vetoed the city council\u2019s decision to approve a conditional use permit for RV Ministries at 112 East North St. The location would be used for classes teaching life skills and food support for Rapid City\u2019s homeless population.<\/p>\n

The conditional use permit was originally denied by Rapid City\u2019s Planning Commission on May 22 with the citation of safety concerns for patrons of the facility crossing East North St. and the railroad tracks immediately behind the building.<\/p>\n

City Council voted to approve the permit after a lengthy discussion on June 15. The vote came to 5-4. Council members Laura Armstrong, Darla Drew, Bill Evans, Lance Lehmann, and Greg Strommen voted in favor of the Ministry. Becky Drury, Chad Lewis, Ritchie Nordstrom and John Roberts voted to uphold the denial. Now, because of Mayor Allender\u2019s veto, the council will re-visit the issue on July 6.<\/p>\n

Mayor Allender critically looked at the benefits that were weighed by the City Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmong the pros were the ability to relieve some of the tremendous pressure on the Cornerstone Rescue Mission,\u201d he said. But he continued by saying it was a fallacy because \u201cthe mission population has decreased significantly due to social distancing related to COVID-19\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cornerstone Rescue Mission has decreased its population significantly due to safety concerns to their patrons in regard to COVID-19 said Lysa Allison, the Cornerstone\u2019s executive director. When asked about the RV Ministries struggle to obtain a conditional use permit she said \u201cI know the RV Ministries has been doing a phenomenal job and I know they want to be more involved in the community, so they should go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lack of capacity at the Cornerstone forces Rapid City\u2019s homeless population to put excessive pressure on other resources like The Hope Center. Jerry Sailer, CEO of Black Hills Contraband which is adjacent to The Hope Center, has seen the increase in homeless dependency since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day I see the numbers. Every day I see people walking by my business to go to The Hope Center and their numbers are up. There is no denying what your eyes can actually see,\u201d said Sailer. \u201cI think the time is great for our Mayor to step down from the ivory tower for a moment and walk the streets of Rapid City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Allender\u2019s letter also re-hashes the original pedestrian safety concerns brought forth by the Planning Commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not believe these factors have been weighed carefully by the council, therefore I do not believe the criteria for allowing a conditional use has been met,\u201d he said \u201cmost importantly, we must not allow our emotions, or the good intentions of an applicant to place other, already vulnerable people at undue risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have served about 2,600 meals since we moved into The Building,\u201d said current RV Ministry President Holly Soper. \u201cJune 21 was our only week that our permit was allowed. No one has been hit by a car or rolled onto the rail road tracks and hit by a train in the 13 weeks we have been serving at the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

RV Ministries has already placed signs near East North St. to alert drivers to slow down. The Ministry has also been educating it\u2019s patrons on jay walking and the importance of using a cross walk. Harris and Soper are often seen in front of the building telling people to cross where the law and safety precautions are met.<\/p>\n

RV Ministries has also proposed building a chain-link fence around the back of the property that is adjacent to the railroad.<\/p>\n

A discrepancy of events is chronicled in Mayor Allender\u2019s official letter of veto. The letter claims that RV Ministries had intended on purchasing the property on East North St. since November of 2019. The letter also states that RV Ministries was operating illegally in April of 2020 after the building had been purchased.<\/p>\n

Cathie Harris, former president of the RV Ministries, refutes Mayor Allender\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t even look at the building until January 8,\u201d she said \u201cthen we went and talked to the city and planning and zoning and told them before we ever bought the building that this is what we were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RV Ministries was operating out of the building in April, but Harris claims that it wasn\u2019t illegal because the Planning Commission gave the Ministry permission to operate there until the conditional use permit was approved.<\/p>\n

Harris has expressed discomfort with the Planning Commission unanimously denying the conditional use permit in May after there was no expression of safety concerns to the RV Ministries before the decision was made public.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey knew exactly where this building was and they had already seen the blueprints,\u201d she said. \u201cNot once did they say anything about the railroad tracks of traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

RV Ministries has already been making steps towards their goal since the City Council had approved the conditional use permit on June 15.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already started our food pantry. We\u2019ve got 200 pounds of food yesterday. We just got a freezer, and we have two fridges,\u201d said Harris.<\/p>\n

But now, with Mayor Allender\u2019s veto, RV Ministries is forced to put their progress on hold until their conditional use permit is approved. If the permit is denied by city council on July 6, Harris said \u201cwe will just go back to serving in our old camper and park it at the skate park like we have been for six years.\u201d<\/p>\n

RV Ministries has operated on a $0 budget and has served over 63,000 meals in an RV since the organization\u2019s formation. They have also brought 18 people from homelessness and into paying jobs and stable living situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love seeing our guests,\u201d said Soper. \u201cI love being able to give a hug and pull up a chair and talk to them about their week and what\u2019s going on in their lives.<\/p>\n

A patron of RV Ministry and one of Harris and Soper\u2019s close friends was asked what RV Ministries meant to them while at Sunday\u2019s biscuits and gravy on June 28. They responded by saying \u201cdo you see these shoes? These shoes are because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Contact Travis at travisldewes@gmail.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cA father and his daughter enjoy biscuits and gravy on a Sunday morning at RV Ministries new building at 112 East North St.\u201d Photo credit Cathie Harris RAPID CITY \u2013 Mayor Steve Allender has vetoed the city council\u2019s decision to approve a conditional use permit for RV Ministries at 112 <\/p>\n

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Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> July 1, 2020<\/p>\n

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