Ontario CUP request triggers litany of accusations

By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor

The Ontario Village Board meeting on Monday included a hearing on a conditional-use permit for property owned by Don and Shirley Finucan, but it quickly deteriorated into unrelated accusations between the parties.

Although the eight-acre parcel lies within the village it is zoned agricultural, the Finucans requested a CUP that would allow them to camp on the property.

The request had been granted last year, and then rescinded when it was learned the Finucans did not actually own the property. It was granted again last month after the Finucans secured title to the property. Although the request was granted, it was not without controversy, as a neighbor, Sue Blanchard, registered her concern that allowing campers would adversely affect the value of neighboring properties and was not the best use of land that was suitable for homes.

The CUP granted last month allowed the Finucans to park their own camper from spring through fall and to allow two other campers for five days, plus an unspecified number of tents.

This month the Finucans requested a revision to the CUP, asking that they be allowed to park their own camper year round and three other campers up to 120 days.

During the hearing, Blanchard noted that if four campers were parked there, that would mean the property would meet the state’s definition for a campground and would require permitting from the state and the department of health.

The Finucans argued the board was singling them out, noting that all summer long,camping is going on at the canoe liveries and campers can be seen around the village.

Board president Mark Smith responded that village residents are free to store their campers on their property, but he did not directly address the canoe-livery issue.

Pat Conway of rural Ontario urged the board to enforce the zoning laws and stick with the issue at hand and not be distracted by accusations about other property owners.

After the hearing was closed, the board moved on to the decision phase.

Clearly agitated, Smith waved a piece of paper, saying, “If you are going to use the word ‘fraud,’ you had better know what you are talking about.”

Evidently Shirley Finucan had submitted a letter to the board alleging that the Blanchards had built a cabin in 2007 without obtaining a building permit or building inspection and that the structure had never appeared on the tax roll.

Smith, who was the builder, strongly insisted there had been a permit and Vince Schmitz had done the inspections.

Finucan argued that she had talked to Schmitz and that he hadn’t recalled doing any inspections. Clerk Terri Taylor said she had not found the permit.

On Tuesday, Taylor said a second review of the files did turn up the permit and that Schmitz did recall looking at the cabin project nine years ago.

Taylor told the County Line that this information would have been forwarded to the village assessor, but there is no follow up done to ascertain if properties were added to the roll. She did note the village was due for reassessment, and if there were an error, then it would be caught at that time.

The Finucans also submitted a petition with 59 signatures endorsing their request for the CUP.

Smith said he read the petition and was confused as to why the Finucans would circulate a petition demanding something they already had. He also pointed out the board had granted more than what been requested in the original request.

Had he known then what he knows now, Finucan said, “I would have gone whole hog.”

But “whole hog” was evidently not what the board had in mind. On a unanimous roll call vote, the board voted to allow the Finucans to leave their own camper there all year but not to change any other of the stipulations in the CUP.

Other business

• No offers to purchase were received on the village-owned property on Division Street. The board agreed to advertise the item again, but allow two years to construct a home instead of one year.

• The board approved changing the setbacks from 20 feet to 12 feet on the back line of a lot on State Street owned by Samantha Kachler. She is placing a manufactured home on the property.

• The Ontario Community Hall kitchen roof continues to leak around the skylight. An attempt will be made to fix the window seal.

• Kriss Hetzel was appointed to the library board, replacing Pat Riddle.

• The village is still waiting for the results of tests on the water from the test well.

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