Restoration work for the barn is moving in the right direction.\u00a0 We have had our meeting with SHPO, and the meeting with the contractors.\u00a0 Building supplies have been ordered.\u00a0 Discussion about where to put the web cams has been completed.\u00a0 Now, it is real.\u00a0 With reality comes the knowledge that building permits, Conditional Use Permits and building inspections are needed to have the public visit the property.\u00a0 Each task comes with a multitude of bureaucracy. \u00a0 With that said, everyone has been very helpful; it just takes forever to navigate through each organization.\u00a0 None of this is taught in Grad School.\u00a0 Let me walk you through each of the documents we need, to allow the public to visit.<\/p>\n
The Conditional Use Permit pertains to zoning and allows the CCHS to use the farm for public visits.\u00a0 Currently, the farm is zoned agriculture.\u00a0 To get a CUP is a multi-staged task.\u00a0 First step was meeting with the Laketown Township board.\u00a0 They had concerns about the amount of traffic that would travel Parley Lake Road, once we put in a driveway to the farm off of Parley Lake.\u00a0 Building a new driveway will happen, but not in the immediate future, as care of the buildings comes first.\u00a0 After meeting with Laketown Township, Carver County Planning was contacted.\u00a0 We missed the cut off for the County meeting by three days, which means the earliest meeting date is March 25.\u00a0 After this meeting, it will go before the board.\u00a0 If all goes well, we will have permission to have the public on the property by early May!\u00a0 Just in time for the summer season.<\/p>\n
A building permit was not needed in the past for the barn as it wasn’t going to be used for public use.\u00a0 Now it will be, so engineering and architectural reports are needed to get a building permit.\u00a0 Thankfully we have those, so the permit is obtainable.\u00a0 However like everything else, it is fill out the forms, and include duplicates of plans and mail it all in then wait.\u00a0 With SHPO involved, any changes will have to be to cleared through them.\u00a0 The only change from barn use to a public use may be the addition of handicapped accessibility. The building will only be used seasonally, and does not nor will not have utilities.<\/p>\n
The other buildings will need an structural report from an engineer before the county inspector will clear the building for the public.\u00a0 It doesn’t matter the building is solid or not.\u00a0 The reason for this is that when a building changes use, especially when it will be used for public use, it must be inspected for structural soundness.\u00a0 What this means for the farm, is that it will be years before some of the buildings can be used, unless some wonderful engineer, steps up to the plate and offers to do the work for free.<\/p>\n
So much to do and so little time.\u00a0 It will all get done.\u00a0 Just don’t expect it all to be done in a couple of years.<\/p>\n
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Restoration work for the barn is moving in the right direction.\u00a0 We have had our meeting with SHPO, and the meeting with the contractors.\u00a0 Building supplies have been ordered.\u00a0 Discussion about where to put the web cams has been completed.\u00a0 Now, it is real.\u00a0 With reality comes the knowledge that building permits, Conditional Use Permits … <\/p>\n