On May 21, the Planning Commission work session heard an application by Mr. Jody Salyards about his chip mill. He's got an ongoing business that employs 11 people. It's in Page County. I didn't quite follow this part, but it seems that he is located in the "wrong" place. He doesn't have a commercial entrance and he's in the forest, when our Comprehensive Plan says all businesses should be in the industrial parks. So the trees can live free.
Now, the county, it appears, forced him to shut his business down. He is going through the process and agreeing to move his business. He needs a special use permit so that he can operate while he is carrying out these requirements. That's what it sounded like to me. These are not official minutes, just what I heard as an innocent bystander.
But it will take him nearly 3 months to complete the process to apply, and that means he will be out of business for 3 months. Losing revenue for 3 months.
The Planning Commissioners didn't care that he was losing revenue for this time. They were more concerned about being "right" than about being "fair." It was wrong, apparently, to locate a business in the woods, because woods are protected, but jobs and businesses are not protected. Nobody could see their way to giving him permission to stay in business while they mulled through the process to give him permission to stay in business. Which they apparently intend to do, but only after he loses so much revenue that he may not be able to do so.
That's what I heard.
If I were this guy, I'd move all right. I'd move right out of Page County.
Mr. Salyards deserves our gratitude and respect for putting up with such behavior, and for giving up months of revenue just so that he can be allowed, if he forfeits enough, to bring jobs to Page County. Men like this are the heroes we need.
Planning Commissioners. WHAT are you doing???
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